The Child Richard Makinson

A Memory of Horden.

I was born March 1947 in Guildford Surrey, my father was a serving soldier based in Aldershot. When I was two years old I was sent away to live with my fathers parents in Horden, "family politics". So here I am a grandchild with no siblings in a strange place and what a place no garden but a front step that was hollystoned weekly, a back yard that held a Coal store, an outside " the only toilet" and the bath hanging on its nail by the back door, this door opened directly into the kitchen to the left was a large belfast style sink fed only by a cold tap a little further on and taking up that whole corner was the " copper " a large receptacle for boiling water " with its own fire underneath, the next corner was taken up by the poss tub and then along this wall was the kitchen range where all the cooking was done and in front of it was where the bath would sit, is it so hard to imagine?. When my father was a young man working underground they would have to bathe his father and three brothers on a daily basis, on the right of the back door was a full length walk in pantry and opposite the back door was the door to the front room open the door down two steps into the room to the left was just enough room for an upright piano which reached into the corner the wall to the front window was mainly taken up by an enormous range this beast was black leaded every couple of months with its many door handles painted red and the wording in white, on the opposite wall was a small alcove that was used as a spare sleeping area this was number 6 Eleventh street. The residents " I can't remember what year they moved here" were my grandparents Richard (Dick) Makinson and Elizabeth Makinson their children were Thomas , Richard, Louis , George , Billy and sister Edith , the only one I never met was uncle Tommy. I remember the milkman with his horse and cart, I remember the red reck I remember the swings and slide near the church , I remember battling for coins thrown by the groom from the wedding car I remember going to reserve seats at the cinema , I remember starting school when I was 5, because I was catholic I had to go to OUR LADY STAR OF THE SEA at Peterlee , I remember in winter going to Peterlee for a bath, I think it was uncle Billys house, I remember shopping at Binns for clothes, I remember Crimdon dene, I remember so many things and not one of them unpleasant. I left Horden when I was almost 7 in 1953 reunited with my parents and a larger family than when I left in Catterick prior to going to Germany for three years.

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