Memories Of My Gran

A Memory of Cheadle.

I was born in Tean and in about 1957, when I was 8 yrs old, I was allowed to travel to Cheadle alone on the PMT service buses. I was 8yrs old. My gran would meet me at the cinema stop on Butlers Hill. She would always be standing outside the cinema steps. Sometimes I would walk along the High St with her to do some shopping. We always visited on these occasions the market. At the time, the market was bustling with people, and stalls selling everything possible. I remember Mrs Embling's clothes stall, and Billies fruit and veg stall. Sometimes I would go with my Gran to get hen corn from Moses at the bottom of Cross St. Afterwards we sometimes bought wool from Mrs Thornleigh's at the top of Cross St. We then went to my gran's semi, all the way down to Hales Hall Rd where she lived. Gran's youngest daughter and her husband lived in her house. She was great to be with, and dressed in very modern clothes. She also collected vinyl records and they were like 10 ins dinner plates. They played at 78rph. My gran worked at the Silk Mill of Brough Nicholls and Hall. She worked three shifts, days noons and nights. If I stayed the weekend, we walked down to Salt's Fish shop on Friday nights to buy our fish and chip supper. Then over the rest of my stays, I was a regular visitor to the shop at the bottom of Moor Lane, called Mrs Shipley's. I enjoyed these errands for my gran's ciggies and other groceries. My gran was a heavy smoker. She smoked Park Drive Tipped. There was no age restriction to get her ciggies. I would always get a treat for going and I would stand ages choosing the sweets that were within my treat price range. I liked Cherry Lips and Strawberry Mivvi's. Years later, when I went to the senior school called Mackenzies, she moved to a little cottage in Chapel St, as the semi was too big for her when my Aunt purchased her own house. I adored my gran and still miss her. She died in 1976. She knit all my cardigans and my mum would say the smelled like ash trays until she had washed them. I never minded at all, gran was a lovely knitter.

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