Molly Tale Chapter 9 - Living above the shop

Molly and Baden spent a few happy years at Hawthorne Gardens in Murton. But as Charlie and Eddies building business expanded, they began developing Links Avenue in Whitley Bay. Grandfather and Grandmother Thompson and their unmarried family moved into no. 144 Links Avenue, and when Uncle Charlie got married he moved into no 156 Links Avenue. That left the living quarters of Pretoria House at New York empty, so Molly and Baden moved in above the shop. At the time of the move Meg was 6 months old. Molly writes that as a baby she hated the change and cried every time the pram turned into the yard at New York. Once they moved in Charlie was able to start alterations, living conditions did improve and it was not so dreadful to live there again.

All the time Molly had been married, She had been paying an insurance on Baden that his mother had taken out originally. Grandmother Thompson took the repayments automatically out of Molly’s shop wage. This insurance matured, and, although Molly had other plans for the money, Baden used it to buy the big green meat fridge. Installation meant taking the wall between the shop and the back shop away, which was a terrible mess and upheaval, but once installed, the fridge was a great help, and making pies and pasties was no longer a necessity.

Pretoria House was large and accommodated a lot of people, however, it brought a huge amount of work with it. Molly's sister Louie lived with Molly and Baden, and Molly had a live in household help; a lady called Emily Barnfather. Eddie and Granddad Thompson ate their midday meal at the butchery, and Molly writes,

“I seemed to do nothing but cook and wash dishes”.

Granddad Thompson came up from Whitley Bay on the early bus and ate breakfast with them too, and Molly had a struggle getting the kids ready for school in the mornings, as well as cooking breakfasts on the gas stove out in the washhouse.

Each Monday morning a man called in from Broughts in North Shields and Molly placed an order for most of the shopping with him, which was delivered the next day. Anything else Molly needed she got from the Co-op next door.

Managing the spring cleaning was a major chore for Molly, accustomed to her life at Backworth where her whole time was spent on the household. Here she needed get the cleaning done in an spare hour or two though the day when she was not needed in the shop.

When Emily left to get married, a customer asked if they wanted anyone to help in house and that’s how Edna Stobbart moved in.

Chapter 10