Saturday 28 April 2012

Tealby

My Grandad was born and raised in Lincolnshire in a very picturesque village on the edge of the Wolds called Tealby.  Every now and then, my mum likes to visit the village and remember the holidays she spent there when she was a little girl - so for part of her birthday treat, I took her for a visit today.

 Her Grandparents house used to stand where the bungalow is now.  It was like the cottages either side, but had to be pulled down when it became unsafe.  My mum  visited every year with her parents when she was young.  It was their annual holiday.  She says that she can remember her grandfather sobbing uncontrollably when the time came for them to leave every year.  We take communications and being able to stay in touch so much for granted these days.
 After a warming soup in the village pub (and boy did we need warming up, it was freezing!), we embarked on a marathon walk around the whole village - and beyond.
 My Grandad moved to South Yorkshire for work.  He was a farm hand/woodman and eventually landed in Wentworth working on the Fitzwilliam Estate.  Whilst the estate would have been very beautiful, the rest of the area was in its mining hey day and I know he didn't think much of the rows of pit houses and the grime that covered everything.  When you wander around his village, you can see why it would have all been a shock to his system.
 Mum showed me where all the shops etc used to be, now almost all of them are gone.  She also told me that the cottage that my great grandparents lived in had no electricity and no running water at all.

 A brook runs through the village and through many of the gardens of the lovely big houses.  A couple of old Mills have been converted into homes and still have the brook running through them.

 The village has also been home to the Grandparents of Alfred Lord Tennyson, and I think I read somewhere that Elton John's songwriting partner - Bernie Taupin was from here too.
 A few miles away is the church where my great grandparents are buried.  My mum still has the telegram that arrived for my Grandad to say that his mum had passed away back in 1965.
 It was interesting to find the very simple grave with just their names on the stone surround.  My mum realised that she had never known her Grandmothers name!



21 comments:

Shortbread and Ginger said...

Lovely post. You are right - we take so much for granted these days. Life must have been very tough in our grandparents' time!
Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

elaine said...

A great post - I am never sure if it the right thing going back in search of your past cos things will inevitably have changed. I think we idealise the way people lived in the past but I expect the reality is that they would have gladly changed their lives for ours. It looks a lovely place though and glad your mum enjoyed her day.

Diane said...

What a lovely post, I am sure that you Mum enjoyed her day out. Somehow I was expecting a lake with Teal swimming in it! I saw the house where my Mum was born a few years back it was great to see how they used to live. I guess the house now had electricity and running water, but it was much the same externally. The house where I was born has been bulldozed and there is a new house there, I was very disappointed! Diane

Ray+Joan said...

That was a lovely story, you are luckly that you have your mum to tell you the history.

topchelseagirl said...

What a lovely way to spend a day and what a pretty place.

Lisa said...

How lovely for your mum that you took her back to somewhere so special and full of lots of memories.
Such a pretty village.
Lisa x

elsy said...

my brother in law lives the other side of Lincoln so next time we are there i will try and get to the wolds....been meaning to do that for years, he always says its really lovely.....just seen your last post....no wine! no way x

Miss Holly said...

I love when I see your name pop up....always a wonderful place you've been too...and a lovely bit of history...so lucky to have your mum..my mum always wanted to see where she came from and I was never able to take her to England...I was thinking of you today as I was planning another wash line embroidery!!! Just about to finish a quilt then I will start....but lots of gardening to do..as well... Happy day to you!

Lyn said...

what a wonderful village so pretty. I am sure your mum has many lovely memories...I bet it was always sunny though!
xxx

Elderberry-Rob said...

How beautiful that place is - I can't think of anything more desirable than having a brook run through my garden! A lovely post.

Anna at the Doll House said...

This has really touched my heart Diane.

Anna

Rowan said...

I always love going back to places connected with my ancestors though it's sad when the houses are no longer there as is the case with my gran's house where I was born and my other grandparent's house too. Tealby looks a lovely village, the sort of place I'd love to wander round - though not in the kind of weather we're having at the moment:)

Rosie said...

What a lovely village. The Lincolnshire Wolds are very pretty I think. As you know we lived for quite a while in south Lincolnshire and that fenland area is such a contrast to the wolds. How lovely that your Mum has wonderful memories of her childhood holidays there and that she can go back and visit too:)

Jan said...

I think it's lovely that you can spend time with your Mum like this - her childhood memories are really precious. The village is gorgeous too - even in the horrible weather that we've had recently. All the best, Jx

BadPenny said...

How lovely to take your mum back & hear her memories of happy childhood holidays. That was so sad - your great grandfather sobbing when they left.

Jo said...

What a lovely village, and lots of lovely memories for your mum too. It must be a real birthday treat for her to revisit her past.

A garden just outside Venice said...

Such a pretty village and really so thoughtful of you to take her there for her BIrthday!
Still very shocked at the fact you think I use the translator for blogs, FB... :(
xxxxx

P.S. Have you ever received my postcard from AMS?!

Kathy said...

What lovely memories you've shared. Such a pretty little village.
xxx

Young at Heart said...

what a delightful turn around the village!!x

Carol said...

What a beautiful village and a what a special way to spend a wonderful day with your Mum.
Thank you for your congratulations on our Silver Wedding.
Carol xx
p.s. Blogger drives me nuts too!!

Jenny Woolf said...

What a lovely village. But it is true, that the shops and much of the life is gone from so many of them. I suppose it's a matter of times changing. My mother recalls her holidays with her granny in a village too, and much the same thing has happened.