MOLLY CLARK was born in 1918 and interviewed by Kendal Oral History Group in 2000. The group aims to compile a picture of earlier times through the recorded memories of the area’s older residents.

THE hours I worked as a parlour maid at Curwen Woods House (at Holme) were long. I started in the early hours of the morning and I used to get finished most days about nine, or half past at night.

I used to get time off in the afternoon in what they called 'a servants hall', which was our sitting room.

Then I’d get just one afternoon and every other Sunday off.

But there was many a time, if I was going out on my afternoon off, I was catching the four o’clock bus. I got eight shillings a week and my keep.

I got a bicycle in 1936 it cost me £4.99 and I was going to pay it off in instalments.

I only had it a month when I came off it. It had happened at the top of Sheerness Lane. I don’t remember, I was unconscious for about ten days and I only had Fred Atkinson, who had the post office to tell me.

I was taken to Lancaster Infirmary Ward 5. Five weeks in hospital and I got a bill for five pounds and I had to pay it they said, out of my eight shillings a week wages.

Actually I think somebody paid it for me. When I went to Mr Taylor’s garage where I’d bought the bike from he said: “Well I can use quite a lot of the parts; we’ll just scrap it.” That was the end of the bicycle.

After that I used to walk across to Hale to my aunt’s, about two miles, and sometimes I used to go up Pyes Lane and catch the bus back to Holme.

Sometimes I used to go to Lancaster and Marks and Spencer. They had like a snack bar then and I used to go in there have a piece of cake and a cup of tea and go to the pictures and still have change out of ten shillings