Up Oor Close

Life in the city in the early 1900's until World War II was an amazing microcosm of an ideal world community, but it did have its downsides.

I just finished reading Jean Faley's book, Up Oor Close. It describes what life was like in the tenament housing schemes in Glasgow. Imagine having 5-10 people living in sometimes 3 rooms (Kitchen, Room, Room), where beds came out of the wall or were placed under other furniture when not in use. Imagine keeping a place like that clean, and the around the clock housework--beatings of rugs, scrubbing of fireplaces, floors and eating spaces to keep a place clean and sanitary. Imagine the lack of proper storage space and having to shop at markets weekly or daily to get the necessities. Imagine having friends over to entertain, the crowded space, but also the fun and laughter and songs that were sung and closeness that we all know initimate spaces add to parties and relationships. Imagine meeting people, courting and the lack of privacy; then imagine how much privacy was honored because it was so special. Imagine a community raising children because of the proximity to folks and their neighbors. Imagine the simplicity of a wedding ceremony--money was tight, you lived with your parents even after the wedding. Imagine the horse drawn funeral carriage making its way down the narrow streets and the magificent outpouring of emotion and mourning when a member of the community died. Imagine child care and births at home, how the neighborhood would band together and aid each other in the rearing and care of a newborn; especially if 'ye had twins'. Imagine how illness and disease could spread so quickly in such set ups, and it did. Imagine at times, large number of people falling ill to TB and dying. Imagine how life would change, become less community oriented, more distant, more expensive and less cohesive when the tenament systems were done away with after WWII--lessons on life, many forgotten.

That is what this book was about.