40 Newstead road was THE family home to most of the Stevensons between 1930 and 1956. I remember it as having a huge beamed attic which was accessible via stairs. We kids played hide in seek there while our mums and dads went about their business downstairs. John & Mary Ellen Stevenson shared their home with many of their children even after they got married and had kids of their own. My father Dave Stevenson grew up with Kenny Marshall in this same house, he was Kenny’s uncle but more or less the same age. When I was young aunty Lil and her family shared the house with gran.

Unfortunately the location is now an empty plot but the two double fronted houses next door (especially the corner house # 36) give a good impression of what the house looked like. We were all proud of this family home. John Stevenson was a remarkable man to have worked his way out of the “workhouse” to become the proud owner of a double fronted corner house which served as home for so many of his offspring.