John Paulin in the tin bathtub outside No 3 Flowery Bank.
- Flowery Bank (photo Ann Wilson)
Flowery Hill, now named Flowery Bank, Broughton, was home to three generations of the Paulin family.
The cottages may be some of the oldest buildings in the parish and were likely built as workers’ cottages with large gardens.
John and Eliza Paulin moved to Broughton around 1901. Their son Wilf moved into the house next-door when he married Frances. Their son Jeff Paulin and his wife Margaret were also to make Flowery Bank their home for many years.
Over the centuries there were many changes – bath time was once a tin bath, but usually in front of a fire rather than in the garden! Water for the tub was rainwater. In the bath tub is John Paulin, Jeff’s brother, who died of peritonitis at the age of eight.
Drinking water for the family meant Wilf Paulin walking to the stack-yard of Oak Farm or onto Breedycroft Lane to draw water from a well. Wilf used a yoke over his shoulders to carry a pail on either side. Jeff Paulin vividly recalls water being provided “on tap” although this meant a stand pipe in the street, but an improvement on the old wells! It was around 1933 before there was running water with one tap outside the front of Flowery Bank for all 4 houses.
The colour photo shows the front of four cottages while the black and white photo shows the rear. The black and white photos used were all kindly provided by Jeff Paulin. Photos taken by Ann Wilson, Jeff’s daughter, are credited to her.
All photos are viewable in a larger view by clicking on the photos and then clicking on the next photo which appears.
AGW 2011
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