Have you ever moved to a property with lots of history and all sorts of nooks and crannies to discover? Well we did just that 4 years ago, when we moved to Heywood Hall! It was only last summer when we were inspecting the chimney that we found a suitcase tucked away in the attic. We thought it belonged to the previous owners, but this was not the case. So my son Phil opened the case, hoping he would find some hidden treasure! no such luck. However there were many photos of family members dating back to World War 1. There were even ration cards! . A lifetime collection of moments in someone’s life.
I wrote to the address in Stoke which appeared on Bank statements etc, but there was no reply. A good friend of ours is a genealogist whizz and did the necessary search on the internet. Within two weeks, Wendy the suitcase owner’s daughter in law contacted us. Rachel Harrison had lived in the house during the 1990’s. I had a wonderful conversation with Wendy, she was thrilled with the treasured suitcase which had been found, and is in the process of piecing together her family tree. So next time you go up to your attic, why not take a look behind the rafters, you never know what you may find!
