Brewers Buildings, Rawstorne Street

Image: © kim traynor Taken: 17 Sep 2013

George Toll, a former resident writing in 2012, described living here over half a century ago. "I lived at No.2 from 1931 to 1948. The rent when we left was, I believe, ten shillings and sixpence a week. There was no bathroom nor hot water, but we had electricity connected in about 1938. The front door opened directly into the sitting room which had a coal fire. The coalman had to carry the sacks of coal through the sitting room to the kitchen at the back of the flat and tip it into the coal cupboard in the kitchen. Can you imagine the mess the dust made? The two bedrooms were small. Until we moved out in 1948 my brother aged 8, my sister 10 and myself 16 shared one bedroom including all of our possessions, clothes, toys, bikes etc. so it was a bit cramped. Rawstorne St was a run-down area then, not like today. The buildings stood up to the blitz very well as we had some bombs pretty close to us. Closest was in Wynyatt St, a few yards from the back of us. It was a doodlebug. It blew the window frames into the room at the back but the brickwork was undamaged. We also had a close one in Hermit Street and huge ones in Rydon Crescent and Owens Row. We also had several incendiary bombs on the roof but they were soon extinguished. In those days all deliveries were by horse and cart and the streets had gas lights which the lamplighter would light and put out. In 1948 we were offered a three-bedroom house with a garden in Hertfordshire which we gladly accepted."

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