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One of my earliest memories is of the winter of 1947, recalls Martin Skeffington, who lived with his parents in a detached house at Earl Shilton. At least I have always believed it was the winter of 1947, when I was outside in the snow with my brother Norman and the snow came higher than my head. I would be 4 years old.
I know I was walked to Stoney Stanton to see my grandparents Horace and Ethel Payne who kept the Bull's Head. This was after the 2nd World War when there was still rationing, and transport was irregular.
I cannot remember my grandmother Payne who died shortly after the war; it is said in the family, from a broken heart, having lost two daughters in the 1930's, one from tuberculosis and the other from liver failure and/or haemorrhaging.
Following her death, my aunt Vera and uncle Ike (Isaac),Peggy and cousin Douglas went to live with my grandfather at the Bull's Head. We still continued to visit regularly and often mother and I would get a lift back from Stoney Stanton.
The Bull's Head was a large public house in the centre of Stoney Stanton overlooking a water filled quarry. To the rear was a large walled yard, the wall covered in climbing roses. To the rear of that was a small row of cottages with gardens at the front. The facilities in the cottages were very basic. Attached to the pub were some outhouses one of which contained a pigeon loft, and it was due to dust etc. from this loft entering Douglas's eye that he lost the sight of one eye and became partially sighted in the other. Mother always blamed her sister Vera for overdoing the eye drops prescribed for Douglas but these were sparse times pre National Health and Vera only thought she was doing exactly what the doctor had told her.
Upstairs in the Bulls Head were a series of bedrooms where the family slept. There was also a large billiard's room that during my childhood was never used. Occasionally I would stay with my cousin overnight and I remember the stone hot water bottle that was used to keep the bed warm in winter.
The Bull's Head was a strange place for a child. Douglas was very spoilt, a compensation for his affliction and I was always made to feel second best. Granddad would sleep of an afternoon between opening times with the newspaper over his head making a gentle snoring sound. Breakfasts would always be cooked, no cereals and the bacon was often home cured and very fatty. As a young boy I would heave at the thought of having to eat this fat.
We were never made to feel welcome when we visited and every time we entered the Bull's Head invariably through the kitchen the normal greeting was 'What you come for!' As if we had come begging or some such thing. This was my mother's family. Totally different was my father's family.  
This one is of my grandparents Ethel & Horace Payne also quite young. My grandfather was a sergeant in the 1st World War and was sent to India to oversee Turkish prisoners. He was based at Poona east of Bombay.
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