Hi everybody
Can anyone remember any "wally closes", that was wall tiling on your close [mostly only half way up the wall, if I remember correctly ?], people use to say you were a toff if you close mouths were tiled. We never had it in our close but my Ma [and neighbours] used to white-chalk the edge of the stairs when it was her turn. Can anyone remember any Wally Closes ?
Regards
Danny
we did'nt have a wally close but my friend lived up one in govanhill, it was lovely........I remember the closes gettin whitened edges, they used pipe clay, it came in a block about the size of a bar of soap, I used to steal it to make my peever bed out in the street, many a slap I got for that one haha
I think some closes in Sandyfaulds St.had wally closes but I might be wrong.
When they refurbished the houses and closes across from me in Dougrie Rd. Castlemilk they put tiles on the walls with a lovely border they are beautiful.
And I remember the pipe clay I used to eat it when I was young many a thump I got from my mammy for doing this.
I remember when my ma flitted from a single end to a room and kitchen and inside toilet in Salisbury St and our stairs were done with the pipe clay up the sides and I remember my ma thought she would have a wee change and she melted two bars of the clay in water so when she washed the stairs they were all white looked lovely but caused murder with the neighbours up the stairs they didn't like it.
Amelia x
amelia wrote:I think some closes in Sandyfaulds St.had wally closes but I might be wrong.
When they refurbished the houses and closes across from me in Dougrie Rd. Castlemilk they put tiles on the walls with a lovely border they are beautiful.
And I remember the pipe clay I used to eat it when I was young many a thump I got from my mammy for doing this.
I remember when my ma flitted from a single end to a room and kitchen and inside toilet in Salisbury St and our stairs were done with the pipe clay up the sides and I remember my ma thought she would have a wee change and she melted two bars of the clay in water so when she washed the stairs they were all white looked lovely but caused murder with the neighbours up the stairs they didn't like it.
Amelia x
Hi Amelia,
To think what our Ma's went through , bending doon on their knees washing the stairs then pipe chalking them, do you remember your Ma using a foam rubber mat to kneel on when daein her turn of the stairs ?. Then you had the Tom cats doing a pee and the smell was awful so My Ma used to sprinkle pepper [or something else ?] so the cats wouldn't stake out their territory.
Regards Danny x
Hi Amelia, I lived on Sandyfaulds Street and none of the closes around us, two closes up from the Pend, had Wally Closes...I remember the closes, during and after the war, having these "rafters" they called them to hold up the close if a bomb fell on the street or nearby...Now that I think of it, a lot of good they would have done..then there were these big felt-like curtains at the front of the close and a baffle wall on the pavement and around the back of the close to keep debris from blowing in on you while you were hunkered down waiting for the "All clear" to sound and your Mammy and Daddy took you up the stairs back to your bed...Some people came down to the close during the air raids and some preferred to stay in bed...After a few times of sitting freezing in the close, my Mammy said, "We are having no more of that...If we die we will die in our own beds." It took a while for the rafters to come down but the closes were a mess after that because no one came back to fix the holes in the wall where the wood beams were attached...That is my memory of closes...
I remember wally closes and you're right Danny we thought folk were right toffs if they lived up such a close. Guess you and I were the "poor" folk living in the Oatlands.
Amelia I see you mentioned Dougrie Rd, I used to live in the high flats in Dougrie Place. Nice to see you trying to get things up and going again on here and as I said before your stories always make me laugh. Keep up the good work! Sheila
