Mum and dad came to live in Knaresborough in 1916, during the first world war. Dad had worked in Harrogate before he met mum and had friends in the area. One of them was a gentleman called Harold Spence who owned a barber shop on Castlegate in Knaresborough. He and his wife, Clara and young son Harry lived over the premises.
On the corner of Castlegate, opposite the Cross Keys Hotel.
As married men in their thirties dad and Harold had not yet been called up but as the war rumbled on and young men were being wiped out in their thousands, older men were being called upon to serve. Eventually, dad and Harold were notified and had to go for a medical checkup. Harold passed his and was draughted into the army; dad was deemed unfit and remained a civilian.
Harold did not want to close his barber shop which would also mean the loss of his home so he asked dad if he would take everything over for the duration of the war and treat the business as his own. Dad was to pay Harold the sum of twenty pounds. When the war ended, all being well, Harold would buy the business back for the same sum of money. Harold employed a young apprentice, Albert Lund who, at around sixteen years old was quite an accomplished barber; he would stay on and attend to the customers. Dad, mum and the family, which now included a baby son, Cyril, would live over the shop. It was to be a gentleman's agreement, sealed with a handshake. All that was needed now was for my mother to agree to the arrangement. Mrs Spence, [who felt she could not run the business on her own] and Harry were to live with relatives in Leeds.
Mum was reluctant to uproot the family. She was happy where she was. She had a nice home and was close to her other relatives. Dad was persuasive, saying that, as he himself could not go and fight he should do what he could to help his friend. Mum agreed to go and see the town and the barber shop before she made up her mind.
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| Knaresborough Station |
She liked the look of Knaresborough in spite of the scene which greeted her as she stepped off the train on her first visit. A large group of barefoot, ragged children were gathered on the platform, all vying with each other to carry visitors' luggage up the steep hill into the town, in the hope of earning a copper or two. Mum was dismayed and upset to see such poverty and even more so as she climbed the steep hill into the town and passed a row of hovels built against a cliff side. Several of the poorly clothed, ill nourished inhabitants stood in the doorways, staring at the passing visitors with ill concealed animosity.
It was not a good beginning: however, the town itself was very appealing with it's ancient Norman Castle and grounds and world famous view of the river Nidd. There were many family businesses trading around the Market Place, High Street and surrounding areas and an open market held every Wednesday where other traders came and set up their wares. The two storey living quarters over the shop were light and airy and overlooked the Castle Yard at the back, where there was a flat roof to sit out on in the summer.
So, mother said, "Yes", the deal was struck and the little family settled in quite happily above the barber shop: a complete change of circumstances, all brought about through the simplicity of a "Gentlemans' Agreement" and I suppose one could say, a war.
Sarah, [Cissie, as she was more generally known, due to her little brother's early attempts to say her name] and Beatrice enrolled at the Castle Girls School, just around the corner, dad did some painting and decorating and helped in the barber shop and mum soon made friends. For a short while all went well until, with the war showing no signs of ending, and less than a year after the move, dad was notified once again to go to Leeds for another medical check and this time he was passed and sent into the army, leaving my mother with four young children to care for and a barber shop to run.
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| Joe, Barbara, Sarah, Beatrice, Jack and Cyril |
Dad spent the rest of the war in Mesopotamia [present day Iraq] fighting "Johnny Turk" as the troops called them, while mum kept things together at home; hoping and praying for dad's safe return. Though small in stature, not much more than five feet tall, my mother possessed great strength of character. Intelligent, resourceful and hardworking, she took hold of the reins and with Albert continuing to deal with the customers, she kept the shop going.
The living quarters had a separate entrance so mum only went into the shop after closing time to check the day's takings, clean the premises, put out fresh towels and collect used ones for laundering.
In addition to his barber's trade Harold repaired umbrellas. One day, not long after dad had been called up, a smart gentleman came to the shop with two umbrellas in need of repair. Albert referred him to my mother who regretfully said that they were unable to take the work on. The gentleman said it was a shame, the other chap had mended them for him and he had payed him five shillings per umbrella.
"Well then," said mum, "If you would like to leave them with me and come back in two weeks time, I will see what I can do".
The man agreed, but she would have get to his workshop in Leeds. A day was settled on, mum arranged for a friend to look after the children, got a lift on a horse and cart to Leeds and back and there learnt a new skill. The 'Umbrellas Repaired' sign went back in the window and mum had another, very welcome, source of income.
Both dad and Harold survived the war and true to their agreement dad handed the business back to his friend for the sum of twenty pounds. Mrs Spence and Harry returned to Knaresborough and took up residence over the shop once more.
Mum and dad went to live in a house in the Moat, by the Castle. The house was one of two, both of which were demolished many years ago.
Knaresborough went back to being a popular attraction, particularly on Sundays when charabancs brought dozens of visitors all eager to enjoy the scenic beauty of this historic little town: visitors who also needed refreshment. Mum and Clara saw an opportunity and one summer they opened a little cafe in the room above the barber shop, serving tea, homemade cakes and scones to visitors. Being in the centre of the town they did very well but Clara wanted to put most of the profits into refurbishing the tea room, which would have left very little for my mother's time and hard work. Mum could not agree to that so the venture only lasted for one summer. They remained lifelong friends, however. After Harold retired and he, Clara and Harry went to live in Leeds they came to visit us from time to time for as long as they could and after tea, with the dishes cleared away, they would sit around the table playing cards, always a favourite pass-time.
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| The Moat, Knaresborough by Joseph Baker Fountain [Mercer Gallery, Harrogate] |
Footnote: My thanks to my niece, Janice Gowing, for additional material re: the umbrella repairs, as told to her by her mother, my sister Beatrice and to my daughter, Barbara for the photographic illustrations
