Voices of Winchester

THESE evocative memories of life in Winchester from the 1880s through to the 1950s paint a vivid picture of what life was like for generations of families living in this community. For some this compilation of reminiscences from the people of Winchester will awaken powerful recollections of times past, while for others it will provide valuable insights into a bygone age. Food was cheap and we used to get criers round with everything. They used to come round the streets at night time with hot faggots and fried fish. Huge pieces for a penny. If we wanted a bath there was always a zinc one hung up outside on the wall. We would have to have the bath in the scullery but it was warm in there because of the fire underneath the copper. We didn’t have many baths though. Not that we were dirty. It was just that it was such a performance to have one. These personal recollections not only recreate a lost world still remembered by older people in general but also illuminate more specific matters unique to this ancient cathedral city in times of war and peace.