Lavender seller

[Blacksmith]

I'm trying to get some help to refresh my childhood memories of the early 1950s.

I often used to travel with Mum on the 58 or 60 bus from Birmingham to South Yardley and I seem to remember an old lady with an invalid trike, who sat on the corner of one of the streets selling lavendar.

I can't remember the street, and perhaps never even knew its name, but I think it was in Hay Mills or Small Heath.

Did I imagine it? Does anybody else remember her?

 

[Shelagh]

The lavender seller sat just after Charles road traffic lights ,near the Gondola Milk bar.
She used to wear Rags and have a blanket around her Knees.
She used to count her takings in the Anderton Pub ,Goldenhillock road most evenings and when she died ,everyone was shocked to learn how many thousands of pounds she left. I can't remember her name but she earned her money, she sat out in all weathers.
She reminded me of the "andy carrier lady" who sat in the doorway just up from the bombed fish market. I missed her when she wasnt there anymore,I think she had a louder voice than all of the other market traders.

 

[Blacksmith]

Shelagh, you are a star!

I was beginning to doubt my own memory, because no one else I've spoken to could remember her. I began to think that I had been watching Mary Poppins too many times and had got confused with the old lady who fed the birds.

Thanks for confirming my memories, and for adding the extra details that I knew nothing about.

 

[Astonian]

I can remember the old lady selling the lavender when i was young
i also remember when the gyspy folks used to walk around knocking on door to doors in aston these folks was true rommany people but my mother was afraid to answer the door to them she would look through the window and see the lady and she would stay away from the window
its the rommany gyspies selling heather lavender and if you did not buy a little bunch for sixpence they will put a curse on us so she would never confront these ladies and when they walked away from the door
she started to tell us the reason ,as to why she did,nt want to cross the gyspy she told us a story about her time when she was very young at the age of 16years old living with her parents in no i newcannal street digbeth she had her first born child , is name was john ,he was 18,months old and he had to go to hospital at the little bromwhich
because he had developed pwneumonia and a couple of days later there were two romany,s women came into the coffee shop and asked her and her mom to buy some lavender they both refused to buy some from them
and the woman said i will curse you if you do not buy any so her mom ordered her out of the shop and in doing so the woman started to munble somethink so mom thought they put a curse on her for not buyingthe lavender and two days later my mothers first child john
died and she always swore that it was this gyspy lady whom cast a curse on her for not buying the lavender that her first baby died
after that it was the first time i seen the lavender lady ,
but time marched on and in the end she always brought the lavender thinking it would bring her luck she always kept a sprigg in her hand bag ,but it never did bring her good luck and thats why i dont forget the lavender lady i most certainly do remember her , astonian ,

 

[Shelagh]

I also remember the gypsy ladies that came around, about twice a year and put the fear of God into most of the housewives,they never seemed to appear when the men were at home.Everyone thought they were going to put a curse on them if they didn't buy anything,bearing in mind they could have bought a meal for the family for sixpence.I always thought they were evil ! I remember they also sold pegs.
But their caravans were beautifull and full of lovely things that have since become antiques
Shelagh