Margaret writes

I was born in Duncombe St in 1947. Like many, we played in the streets and remember a very close community.Even as a nine year old I knew the names of all the families there. I never knew we were supposed to come from a rough area as everyone I knew was extremely houseproud.I remember like Vic the scrubbed yards and the semi circle of scrubbed pavement outside the front door.My mother washed and boiled all the whites,sheets towels etc. It was an all day job on a Monday getting them washed and dried.She also looked after her father and two brothers who lived in 41 Duncombe St because she promised her mother who died "to look after the boys" and that's what she did as neither of her brothers married. We had elderly neighbours either side, Mr and Mrs Butler and Mr and Mrs Booty. When they died mum laid them out as was the custom back then. If anyone was sick a kindly neighbour would sit up all night with them if needed.Such was the caring nature of the street.When there was a death in the street one of the women would come round for a collection to buy flowers for the grave. I only had one brother but we lived in a two bedroom house. When they began knocking down the houses we were told we were overcrowded having a boy and girl share a bedroom. On the 1881 census for Middlesbrough that house at 42 Duncombe St had 2 families of 6 so 12 people living there. Vic comments on people scrubbing the front steps and pavement outside the house. The reason for this was that people lived outside because the houses were so overcrowded in those early years. They only went home to sleep. I am not sure how they managed in winter. We moved to the estates in 1957. I was still attending Marsh Rd School and several of us had to catch the U bus to North Ormesby then the O bus to the North Riding Infirmary to get to school.We somehow seemed more responsible in those days.Today kids are taken to school by car. I know it's because mothers work and mothers need to drop them off.Also it's for safety. It is so sad they do not have the freedom we had to roam the streets.