Coming Soon. An exciting new development of luxury homes
Photo by Foxtail. St Thomas, November 2007
It went on 'til the 1950s
By Patricia Norton (nee Lodge)
As a young child Patricia lived in what she herself describes as squalid conditions in St Thomas:
"As you walked in there was one room with the stairs ahead of you. It was lounge, sitting room, kitchen, everything. Straight upstairs there were two small bedrooms, a weeny one and another room a bit larger. The toilets were about 100 yards away, behind some other houses. No electricity. It was all gas. There was me and my brothers and sisters, seven children. My mum slept downstairs. It was home. We all got impetigo on a regular basis.
Along Cowick Street there were lots of alleyways and blocks of houses all the same. Washing hanging across the yards.
Luxury home
It went on until we were put into a council house in about 1953. It was like a palace when we moved into a council house. And being able to turn the light on with a flick of a switch. But I had a fear of the toilet, not being used to one. I think it was in case a rat came up out of the toilet. It's stuck with me. But, hay ho!, I survived it."