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Beautiful Brum
By Christine Swan Sorting through papers recently, I found a form that I had completed early in my teaching career, when I was under threat of redundancy due to reorganisation. I had always believed…
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Working life
By Christine Swan Reflecting on the news headline that an increasing number of young people are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), this week, I thought about work and all that it means.…
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A Day Trip to London in the Sunshine
By Christine Swan I can’t remember the last day trip I took with my son. One thing that prospective parents are never told is how your relationship with your child grows as they become…
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Daniel Flood – Devonshire hatter
by Christine Swan I have previously written of my great, great grandmother Mary Flood of Southwark who married William Henry Apthorp, coachsmith and wheelwright, in the grand church of St George’s Hanover Square. In…
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A visit to the Museum of the Home
By Christine Swan Last weekend, the London weather was gorgeous. I decided to walk from Southwark to Kingsland Road, Hackney. Walking across London Bridge I walked along Borough High Street, past the George Inn,…
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Top tips for researching your family tree
By Christine Swan I have been researching my family tree for almost twenty five years. In that time, I have lost a number of close relatives, some still to painful to record in my…
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Charlie Apthorp – the grandfather I never met
by Christine Swan My maternal grandfather died before I was born. When my mother became incapacitated by a stroke, I spent many hours talking over cups of tea, about old times, and the characters…
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A weekend in London
By Christine Swan Last weekend was the beginning of a spell of good weather, which thankfully, continued into this week. Before I left for London, a bee swarm settled in my neighbour’s garden which…
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My trip to Antwerp
By Christine Swan As I posted previously, I recently discovered that I had ancestral routes in the Belgian city of Antwerp. However, I wanted to discover what else the modern city had to offer.…
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Corneille Le Sedt – Belgian textile dyer
By Christine Swan I love exploring the places where my ancestors lived and worked, and it has been a great pleasure to discover my links with the mainland. Last week, I set off for…
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Esther Deighton – death’s companion
By Christine Swan In another time, Esther Deighton would perhaps have trained as a nurse. Throughout her life, she served others, sometimes at the very end of their lives. How do I know this,…
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When helplines fail to be helpful
By Christine Swan I had no intention of writing this piece today. In fact, I had another post in planning but events have rather taken over. I want to talk to you about customer…
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Awful Rigours and Wretched Pay 