Nellie: A Darlaston Wench

Nellie White (nee Askey) was born in 1906 and brought up in a working-class Darlaston family. Her daughter, Marion Rowley, has compiled this book from memories passed on by Nellie, and the result paints a vivid picture of the Darlaston that has disappeared. The folk who walked the streets of this bustling little town and lived in its back-to-back houses would not recognise it today. The changing face of Darlaston is discovered here, set against the backdrop of Nellie’s own life, and we see her through childhood and schooldays, times of privation, teenage years and marriage. Nellie’s memories were recorded during her old age, and she recalls in astonishing detail the minutiae of everyday life in this part of the Black Country during the first half of the twentieth century. This book will be a valuable record of days gone by and is sure to appeal to those interested in the social history of the Black Country.