Post by 0urkid on Aug 4, 2010 9:20:15 GMT -1
After the war, like most Manchester working-class families, we had not got a great deal in the way of household possessions, particularly when it came to furniture. One of the things we did have, however, was a kitchen table and four matching chairs which appeared to have been made for a family of midgets. Both the table and the chairs were noticeably closer to the ground than would be considered normal, a fact which I suddenly became very aware of when I reached the age of about ten. One day, unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Mam how it was that we had acquired this unusual kitchen set. This was the story.
A few years previously, when we had lived in Helsby Street, Ardwick, Dad, who was forever fixing things that didn’t need fixing, decided that the chairs would be more comfortable if he re-designed them as recliners. To this end, he promptly sawed two inches or so of the back legs of the four chairs.
He had just finished this task, when there was a knock at the door, and our insurance man, Mr. Whittaker, was ushered in. Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Dad decided to demonstrate his carpentry skills to him by pulling up one of the chairs and sitting in it. Unfortunately, the chair, now totally off balance, tipped over backwards, depositing Dad on the kitchen floor.
This now prompted a re-think, as the chairs were obviously unsafe, if not downright dangerous. It was then decided that, to remedy the situation, the front legs of all four chairs would have to be cut down to the same level as the back legs, putting things back on an even keel, so to speak. This was done, and the offending pieces of furniture rendered once again safe.
There was just one small problem. The chairs were now too low for the table.
To Dad, the solution was obvious, and he immediately set about sawing two inches off each table leg. The overall result of this woodworking disaster was that we finished up with what must have been one of the oddest pieces of furniture in Ardwick, if not in Manchester.
Of course, it was ideal for us children, but I think Mam and Dad must have found it a bit uncomfortable when sitting down for meals.
Oddly enough, I never heard my dad mentioning this episode to anyone.
I wonder why?
A few years previously, when we had lived in Helsby Street, Ardwick, Dad, who was forever fixing things that didn’t need fixing, decided that the chairs would be more comfortable if he re-designed them as recliners. To this end, he promptly sawed two inches or so of the back legs of the four chairs.
He had just finished this task, when there was a knock at the door, and our insurance man, Mr. Whittaker, was ushered in. Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Dad decided to demonstrate his carpentry skills to him by pulling up one of the chairs and sitting in it. Unfortunately, the chair, now totally off balance, tipped over backwards, depositing Dad on the kitchen floor.
This now prompted a re-think, as the chairs were obviously unsafe, if not downright dangerous. It was then decided that, to remedy the situation, the front legs of all four chairs would have to be cut down to the same level as the back legs, putting things back on an even keel, so to speak. This was done, and the offending pieces of furniture rendered once again safe.
There was just one small problem. The chairs were now too low for the table.
To Dad, the solution was obvious, and he immediately set about sawing two inches off each table leg. The overall result of this woodworking disaster was that we finished up with what must have been one of the oddest pieces of furniture in Ardwick, if not in Manchester.
Of course, it was ideal for us children, but I think Mam and Dad must have found it a bit uncomfortable when sitting down for meals.
Oddly enough, I never heard my dad mentioning this episode to anyone.
I wonder why?
