A 1940's Eastside Memory
Back garden in Broadwater Road
Grandad, grandchildren & Flossie
Playing in the Back Field
Playing in the Back Field
Lavinia, who contributed this memory, came to live in WGC in 1939, part of a family of four, initially in Broadwater Road. Her grandfather was already living in the town and in a letter to his sister in Australia said "they have allocated me a house in Welwyn Garden City - a BIG house in a little garden - I wanted a little house in a BIG garden"!
The family had moved from London and they "loved WGC because we had a lavatory indoors and we had running water - I should say that my mother enjoyed it more - I didn't really appreciate the difference - but in London we had no running water and we had gas light and we had a lavatory out on the landing which we shared with the next door neighbour - amazing - Mum paid more rent for that flat in London than she did when she was allocated a house in WGC".
In the audio clip Lavinia describes playing in the Back Field near Edgars Court. The extract came from an interview recorded by the Welwyn Garden Heritage Trust.