Visits to Mrs. Drage's Cottage

Even as a small child in the 1940s, I loved The Mumbles. Some of my first memories concern my excursions on the Mumbles Train to visit friends in the Village. Mrs. Mary Drage and her daughters, Marjorie, my god‑mother and Ena, lived at 7, Hall Bank, one of a row of cottages reached by a path, which meandered up from the main road between Village and Western Lanes. Along this path was a communal tap and nearby, a row of privies—one for each cottage.

Their door opened directly into the cosy living‑room, where we would be greeted by a blazing fire, over which was invariably, a large steaming kettle, ready for tea. To the left, was a huge Welsh dresser, on which was displayed assorted crockery. From the beamed ceiling hung a gas lamp, above a table, on which was a chenille cloth and on the flag‑stone floor were homemade, multi‑coloured rag‑rugs. A steep staircase led from the windowless back kitchen to two bedrooms, above, one reached through the other. While the grownups chatted, the highlight of my stay, was to be allowed to play in the kitchen with her scales and weights. Even now, when I am weighing ingredients in my kitchen, I think back across the years to my visits to Mrs. Drage.