William Sutton St Quintin Park Estate
MEMORIES OF LIFE ON THE WILLIAM SUTTON ESTATE IN THE 1930s
As recalled by tenants of Binbrook House during Reminiscence sessions with HISTORYtalk.
William Sutton Estate, 1930 (photo from the William Sutton Archive)
COAL FIRES AND GAS LIGHT.
When we moved here soon after the Suttons was built, there was no electricity, just a coal fire in the living room and the flats were lit by gaslight. There was a gas lamp hanging in the middle of the room with two chains, one for turning it on, and the other for switching it off. We had paraffin lamps on the walls as well. The cooker in the kitchen, which stood on four legs, was gas as well - a New World. There was a gas meter - you put 1d in it. There was also a gas boiler in the kitchen for heating water. Most flats had a bath in the kitchen. A board covered it, so you could use it as a table. Larger flats, those with three bedrooms had a bathroom with just a bath and the boiler to heat the water. Even in the bathroom the bath had a top so you could use it for other things. It was not unknown for some people to store coal in their bath! The usual place was to store it on the balcony. We went up to the coke factory (where Sainsbury's is now)) to get our coal.
TARRY LOGS.
When they dug up the roads to repave, we would take the tarry logs (wooden bricks) home and burn them. They had a very strong smell.
NIGHT PORTERS ON THE ESTATE.
At night two porters used to patrol the estate, and if any children were still outside after 9pm, he would send them inside. There were about 10 porters in all, and they took it in turns to do the night shift. Other jobs included taking coal up to the flats for tenants, sweeping up the whole estate, between 8 and 9am, then, after breakfast they would start decorating until 5pm. The estate office is still in the same place. They remember one superintendent in particular, Mr.Stagmire and he lived in the little house alongside the office. He would sometimes help those out of work who were having difficulty keeping up with the rent by giving them the job of cleaning empty flats in lieu of their rent.
Once a year the superintendent would inspect the flats No washing on the balcony, no pets (put the cat in the cupboard!), no dogs. We had to take it in turns cleaning the staircase. There were six flats onto each balcony, and each household would have a turn, so once every six weeks, your turn to clean the stairs. There was an Irish woman who for a small sum would clean a whole block when there was a wedding - scrub the floors, polish door handles etc.
RENT
Rates, rent and water, all in for two bedrooms, 10/- for one bedroom and 15/- for three bedrooms.
KEEPING WARM
In the flats here, the only heat was in the living room where there was a coal fire. The bedrooms were never heated, so at night we put a brick in the gas oven and when it was hot wrapped it up in a bit of thick cloth and put it inside the bed to warm it like a hot water bottle.
Edited by Doreen Marrow. 2006.
