For me, the story starts in the Spring of 1992 when I got a phone call from my parents telling me the offer they’d made on a house had been accepted. I was living in Bath in rented accommodation working out what was next in my story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The house had been built in the 1600s and was partially renovated by the current owners but it was a big job and they couldn’t finish the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What my parents got was a lot of furniture left in the big house: 254m2<\/sup> with a big garden and a lot of work which over the next 12 years they did. They down-sized and what they couldn’t use they left. That helped my parents out a little and in turn, as me and my brother left to make our own lives: us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One piece was a small “gentleman’s wardrobe” from 1960. At 50cm deep, 80cm wide and 150cm tall, it had a built in tie rack, 5 shelves, a 3\/4 hanging rail and two locking doors, one with a key. It was made by a company called Austinsuite who specialised in fitting Londoners with bedroom furniture just before the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between the wars, it wasn’t uncommon for a “bedroom suite” to come with two wardrobes – a larger woman’s one to house her dress, often with full skirts, and a small man’s one. A dressing table for the lady would finish off with a little storage for jewelery and of course cosmetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, for us in modern times, with all the pieces we have, it’s not nearly enough but being freestanding, when I moved into a house, I inherited it from my folks. Along with a tall boy, that lasted until we got to fit our family house. Then my son got to use the cupboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It lasted him until he was 13 and we fitted his room. At which point, the little wardrobe went in to the spare room for guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was pulled in to full time service again when we bought our current house. Having sloped ceiling in a chalet styled house is very awkward but it’s narrow and short stature allows it to nestle. Again it was relegated to a spare room and now it sits in our upstairs lobby, providing emergency storage while another cupboard sits in the spare room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But we don’t actually need it which means what’s next in its 62 year history? Do we hang on while my son decides his next step or sell it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch this space. For me, the story starts in the Spring of 1992 when I got a phone call from my parents telling me the offer they’d made on a house had been accepted. I was living in Bath in rented accommodation working out what was next in my story. The house had been built in the 1600s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sustainable-living"],"yoast_head":"\n
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