What are your childhood memories of your grandparents' house?

I loved their house, was a big farm. They had several dogs and chickens and geese as guard geese (the dogs were pets instead). I vividly remember wanting to be treated as one of the dogs and crawling round the house with a scarf as a tail, yapping and barking....

Nan didn't bat an eye lid and fed me lunch on the floor. She just 'got' silly games and didn't freak ever. I still miss her.

Sunday roast taking all day to prepare and smelling delish, then tasting delish.

an old knife without a handle that she used to peal tatties

watching the darling buds of may on a sunday evening while eating wedges of bread that you cut yourself with left over chicken from the roast.

Digestive biscuits with butter & jam on them.
Grapes in a bowl. Strawberried with a cakeing of sugar in a cracked bowl in the fridge.
salad with croquet potatoes.
Going to the corner shop for her for the news of the world, the people newspaper, 20 consulate cigs & a pint of milk (glass bottles with silver lid)

She was SO kind, and loved me SO much, i felt happy, comfortable, warm and secure with her. She had nowt, no money, nothing posh and yet she gave everything. I LOVED my nanna. She died 11 years ago at the end of this month, i miss her terribly.
She was the biggest positive influence in my early life, i would not be where i am had it not been for her.
having a little cry now

ham sandwiches - properly nice ham on white bread. never seemed to make any difference to grandma that I was a vegetarian - she always, always made them.

the football pools - werne't allowed to talk during the football results and grandpa used to sit there very focused on the tv and his little pools card.

daffodils - the garden was full of them and every visit we went out and picked a bunch.

willow pattern - crockery, tiles and all sorts. it was blue and white everywhere in the kitchen.

strange relics - my grandpa was a sailor and spent huge chunks of his life in the far and middle east. they were odd sculptures, pictures and relics everywhere. they were more than a little spooky.

at my other grandparents...

the allotment - endless hours down there with my grandad growing and picking veggies.

the outside loo - there wasn't an indoor one - it was in a shed/lean to in the garden. always cold and full of spiders.

knitting - everywhere. nan always had a project on the go and it was always beautiful stuff.

weak, milky tea - a lovely treat on cold sunday.

my Italian nonna:

• smell of camphor (like mothballs, but smells nicer) when opening her wardrobes
• prettily self-embroidered guest hand towels in bathroom, unfailingly, every time someone was visiting
• towers and mountains of freshly laundered sheets, towel, blankets etc all meticulously arranged in her linen cupboard...no fitted sheets, only flat ones which were enormous and she ironed herself (mad)
• her top loading archaic washing machine which always looked liked it was in imminent danger of leaking
• her legendary pumpkin gnocchi mmm..
• my grandma standing on a great slab of wood when she ironed - her iron was well dodgy and from the late 60's, and had to earth - basically a death trap - so theory was that if it shorted whilst she ironed, the wooden board would save her life. hmmm...scared the crap out of us.
• the sound of her walking stick as it tapped down the marble tiled hallway
• her lovely framed photos of all my rellies
• her tightly permed salt and pepper hair and the lovely leathery/talcy smell of her
• her hilarious furry beret which looked like a teacosy on her head!

oh I miss her - wish she had met my daughter...just writing these memories down has brought tears to my eyes :(

my Greek yaya:

• her little votive candles and Greek icons in her bedroom, which she made sure were lit all day
• another hilarious furry beret :)
• brushing her waist length grey hair before putting it up into a bun every morning
• awesome cooking
• jumping up on her in my plastic gorilla mask to scare the bejeesus out of her (worked)
• teaching me to count to ten in Greek...i never did pick Greek up after she died

sadly never knew my granddads...

Funnily enough I was thinking about this the other day.

Plastic disposable rainhats

The smell of Grandad's Pipe

Chocolate biscuits

Home made Coconut tarts (yum)

A glass cabinet with ornaments in it

Very uncomfortable sofas and chairs

Nylon sheets

Twin tub washing machine and a mangle

My Grandad's dentures floating in a beaker of steredent (I was terrrified of them)

Grandadma's housecoats and tabards

Playing in the park behind their house

Picking strawberries on their allotment

The smell of Polish

Home perms

double deckers and sweets after we had visited them
Earl Grey tea leaves
Homemade Gravy
calling me 'locket' as a nn
fish and chips at a local restaurant
Grandpa's shed and tools
Playing rummikub as a family, Grandma mostly winning :)
Their huge garden on a hill, which led onto farmland, great for running down!

and for my mum's parents:
Full cream jersey milk on my bran flakes (yum!)
The sound of the sea whilst going to sleep (they lived on the seafront)
Orange and Pinapple squash with picnincs
Granny's stash of polo mints
a myriad of bottles of half used nail polish
'Tuck' from Grandpa - a weekly chocolate treat from the local shop
100's of back copies of woman's own that Granny saved for me
The rock pools in front of their house and looking for crabs/fish

Happy days! :)

Ah good OP Chaos.

-Homemade fudge
-The noisy grandfather clocks which scared me a bit when I was in bed
-My nanny's hair nets, she had long red hair until she died at 92
-My dad always whispering to me that she dyed it with tea or something!
-Her coal bunker outside where the brick walls were painted and somehow kept white
-Being bathed in her Belfast sink

I'm so lucky in that my grandparents still live in the house they lived in when I grew up (and where my mum grew up, for that matter!). The smells and sounds are still pretty much the same. Recently I was there for a weekend with 14-month-old DS and it was lovely to see him crawling round, exploring the house and garden and playing with the same toys that generations of children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren have played with (the toy box still smells the same). I can't quite bear the idea of them not being there any more.

Radio Humberside. Nicotine stained walls and ceiling. Coughing. Smoke. Yorkshire pudding..massive. Sweet sherry..."medicine", laughs, outside toilet, pantry still with "golden raising powder", Camp coffee essence, apple pies, coconut and jam tarts, freezing bedrooms, scary old doll, bucket in the bedroom (!), naughty jokes, hugs from Grandad, overgrown back garden with millions of snails.

My grandfathers both died before I was born, so no memories of them.

My maternal grandmother we very rarely saw, but what I do remember:-

The old fashioned sweet shop she ran, which smelt of mints and chocolate
Her conservatory, which contained a water tank and smelled of marigolds
A sitting room which was very quiet and very brown
A mysterious door on the first floor of the house - I never knew what was behind it - I found out years later, when my uncle inherited the house that it was a door to stairs leading to the top floor I never even knew existed!

My paternal grandmother we used to go and stay with every summer. I have so many memories of her house:-

Her "fizz" cupboard - a small dark oak cupboard in which she kept her alcoholic drinks, and the soda syphon (hence the fizz)
Her grandmother clock which chimed on the hour and half hour (I have that clock now!)
A set of melamine picnic ware in two shades of green, which my sister and I played with, giving our dolls tea parties etc
The "baths" which were three plastic washing up bowls, red, yellow and blue, which we took into the garden and played with using water.
Her kitchen cabinet (she didn't have a fitted kitchen) which contained a rocket shaped sugar shaker. I would be given the job of pounding the sugar in a pestle and mortar before it went into the sugar shaker
The "neddy door" which was my grandmother's back door, where you could just open the top part if you wanted
One of those things you hang over the door with the coloured plastic strips hanging from it to keep the flies out when you have the door open
Her pots of Ponds cold cream and elaborate brush and mirror set on the dressing table
A lovely picture of a view looking down to the sea in a limed oak frame
Pots of hydrangeas in the back garden (the pots were wooden, and painted blue)
The sundial and fruit trees in the back garden
A huge fabric sun umbrella in red, blue, green and yellow, also a small Japanese paper parasol which my grandmother used on the beach
Seagulls (my grandmother lived on the Kent coast)
The coal bunker, on which our beach shoes used to be placed to dry after a day at the beach
Reggie the grocer, who delivered groceries in a van every week
The next door neighbour Mrs Priest, whose house was called "Flamingo" and had two plastic flamingoes in the garden. It also had a sunken bath, and a conservatory with wind chimes. Her garden had a pond with a wooden bridge over it. Mrs Priest sometimes used to stand at the door of her conservatory and lob a couple of Milky Way bars over the wall for myself and my sister. They were always Milky Way, never anything else.
Runner beans - my grandmother grew them in her garden so we often had them at lunchtime
My grandmother singing (The Keel Row was a particular favourite)
A little saying she often came out with - "What noise annoys a noisy oyster most? A noisy noise annoys a noisy oyster most!"

My grandmother died in 1983 at the age of 93 (I was 21 then) but I still miss her, and my best childhood memories are all of time spent with her.

My maternal GPs were a strange couple. My GM had schizophrenia so me and my sister would spend a good amount of time on each visit looking for the people who were talking about Nan. Otherwise we'd spend an hour or so rubbing vaseline into her legs and nipping to the corner shop to get her 10 weights.
Nan would let me light her cigs from the age of about 6 .
Grandad thought it was a treat to take either me or my sister to Caters to buy some eels. Not both of us, just one. When we got home we would watch him kill them and gut them and boil them. I used to think myself lucky if I didn't have to go, although there was a greater chance you would be given some eels. It was a tricky path to tread. He also liked cooking heads and trotters.

The big raspberry bush in Grandpa's back garden.

The black & white telly.

High tea at 3 o clock on Sundays with all the little cakes & the silver teapot.

His homemade jams & pickles & chutneys Done in the big shiny copper pan that hung on the wall in the breakfast room.

The cassettes of opera he used to listen to.

And watching Deanna Durban films- my gran loved her.

I could go on all day......

From my Grandmother (no grandfather on that side):

A cupboard full of Mr. Kipling cakes. Especially bakewells, french fancies and those chocolate sponge things with a disc of choc on top that you could peel off.

The gentle sound of screeched swearwords when the firealarm that she had positioned over the hob went off inexplicably once again.

Black bun bags full of easter eggs or christmas presents.

The heady scent of dog and fags.

Tons of pictures of the family in mismatched, garish frames dotted around.

Her laughing whenever anyone seemed to be taking things too seriously.

Playing with her carousel ash tray.

Garden full of holes that the bloody dog dug.

My uncle who still lived at home demanding his dinner.

The huge amount of tack on every shelf. It was like a treasure trove.

The sickly sweet smell of God knows what in the loo.

Dirty jokes.

Sing songs.

Her glass dining table that I was so scared of breaking.

Clutter, noise, mess, chaos, happiness.

From my grandfather and grandmother:

Silence

Depression

Resentment

Cribbage

Dancing trophies from years ago

From earlier days, view of Oxo tower and a dingy fishtank

From later days, pull cords and emergency buzzers everywhere

Tea without end

Boredom

The market where my grandfather worked for one of his jobs and how he came to life there

My grandmother sitting or laying on the sofa and never speaking

The sofa throw with tassles I used to plait

This is a lovely thread :) I'm quite sad that I don't have memories like these!
My mother's parents died when she was a child and My dad's mother also died when he was a child. So I just have one grandad. Sadly after his wife died, he became a bit of a hoarder so my overiding memory is going to stay with him and my mother sitting in the living room sobbing because the house was so awful and full of stuff and unclean and it would take hours to clean/tidy enough to be habitable. He is still alive and still in the same house, but thankfully my aunt and her family now live with him so it's kept under control. I'm not particularly close to him, so won't share any more stories as it's a little depressing!

Oh, and my grandpa's pipe tobacco- despite my utter loathing of smoking- the smell of his meersham pipes and his tobacco was lovely

Aww, i love this thread. My paternal grandparents lived in the same terraced house for 70 years - until I was 6, we lived in the next street.

I practically lived there- so many memories.
They had an indoor loo (big luxury where we were!)
My gran's apple pie, which had gorgeous flaky pastry (never told my mum I prefered it to hers)
The button box (funny how many of us remember those!)
Their house always smelled of Palmer Violets (My grandpa was a rep for Palmer and Harvey- we got a LOT of free sweets!)
watching fuzzy cine-films of my sister and I in the front parlour (don't know why we called it that- wasn't like there was a back one!). Grandpa was always filming us, and recording us singing. He loved to listen to the tapes when he got older. In typical sulky teenage fashion, I used to hate this. i regret that now, as i realise how much it meant to him, especially after granny died.

The knitted loo roll cover- was a bit spooky actually.

The photo of my dad in the parlour- aged about 18 months old, with a mass of golden curls and clutching a giraffe. i wish I knew where that picture was- as DD2 now looks EXACTLY like that!

And Imperial leather and bryl cream.

My maternal granny lived in a flat with purple swirly curtains. She was always sewing- she used to make teddy bears. Her bathroon always smelt of Cote L'aimant. Actually, it still does! I used to love staying with her- she used to let me stay up and watch 'Dynasty'

The (not so secret) passageway that went out from the cupboard under the stairs

home made lemonade in glasses with purple flowers on
home made fudge

picking fruit in the garden

the stone paddling pool

wind up toys, penguin and babies, down the slope between the kitchen and the breakfast room

Feeling like a princess walking down the stairs

It's now now an old people home

My grandparents' house was the best place in the world when I was a child.

The faint lingering smell of pipe tobacco and Imperial leather soap. The way the house would fill with the smell of Yorkshire puddings and roast beef. The warmth and laughter. Long summer evenings playing games on the mossy lawn. Going to bed first and my Grandpa bringing the hostess trolley into the bedroom so I could have a 'midnight feast'.

Sitting in the dining room playing board games on cold winter nights with the airing cupboard doors open to let off heat from the water tank and the smell of Stardrops my Gran used to wash everything in.

Just perfect. I cried when My Gran sold the house. I walk past it every now and then and am so glad the present owners have kept the gardens in such good order.

Pictures of Jesus and Mary. She was a staunch catholic.
A proper tea pot, tea made fresh from leaves with strainer etc
An iron that could be heated in the fire! We were fascinated by it.
A kitchen that had not changed since the 1930's.
The constant slight smell of gas and toast.
Geese in the shared back garden, they belonged to the neighbour and went for everyone who came out to hang out washing.
The Star Newspaper, she had it delivered
Photos of all her Grand kids.
Irish music, Fields of Athenry that kind of thing.
Bingo and Cherry pop at the local Working Mens Club.
Her doing high kicks and dancing with us in her sixties

She and my parents were estranged later in life and that affected my relationship with her unfortunately. Looking back the arguments were NOTHING and not really her fault at all, without going into too much detail. I was mean't to go and see her one week and I didn't go, just too bloody lazy, she died two days afterwards. I have such regret and sadness about that.

My parents and parents in law love my children so much and it makes me feel so grateful that they'll have great memories and feelings of love and security. My great-grandma had a farm and I have brilliantly clear memories of the most dangerous, scary and wonderful times. Thanks for all the love.

You've made me cry.

I remember going to Grannies house, she would have to shut her grumpy collie dog away. We would have Sunday afternoon tea around a huge table. Triangular sandwiches and those round marshmallow cake things with coconut on top!!

What a lovely thread.

Playing with my cousins at my gran's flat. Using bits of fabric and nets to create a fashion show.

My gran's basement. She had no fridge. It was chilly and crammed with food.

Rabbits in my grandad's outhouse. Fussing them. Then one day walking in to him slaughtering one :(

Kittens. And my grandad rubbing them gently on his cheek going 'awww'.

Fetching coal with my gran from the shed.

New year dinners with my family at gran's flat. Playing cards. My uncle cheating and everyone having a huge laugh.

A little plastic Virgin Mary in my gran's spare room. It was filled with water from Lourdes and it glowed in the dark. I cried and cried when having a sleepover as I as so scared of Virgin Mary.

My gran making mash (my favourite food) and it tasted wrong. I asked if she had put salt in it. She added more. And more. And then it was horrible. It turned out she had made Smash and of course it didn't taste the same...

My gran pouring a drink of lemonade. I pulled the glass away as I thought it was full. Lemonade all over the floor :)

Gran and Gramps house: outside lav; no bathroom; washing at the sink in the kitchen in the morning; no central heating; sleeping under sheets, blankets and a massive eiderdown; the guzunder; love; happiness; Gramps eating his yorkshire before the roast; having to be quiet for the 1pm news on the radio.

Nana's: no fridge; milk kept in the cupboard; neat as a pin; shiny lino with rugs; it being sooo cold that there was ice on the inside of the window; no central heating; outside lav and no bathroom until I was about 13; no TV; playing draughts; eating plum pie (yeuch), rhubarb crumble (double yeuch) both made withotu sugar and lumpt custard; butterscotch angel delight over tinned pears with dessicated cocnut on top (triple yeuch); my little brother getting more sausages and bacon than I did in the morning as he's a boy; washing being done in a boiler and then mangled (didn't do my jeans any good) and hung out; metal hot water bottle and freezing sheets.