Memories of a Silver Cross pram - Scottish nostalgia

Irene McMillan recalls the various prams she's owned over the years - including a beautiful Silver Cross pram.

My husband and I have recently returned from a visit to our daughter, son-in-law and little grand-daughter, who live near London.

One of our pleasures when we visit is to take Phoebe out in her pram. Well this child does not only have one, up to date, ultra-modern pram but also an off road buggy as her parents enjoy walking out in the countryside. These prams/buggies may be the latest models and I know cost a lot of money but am I alone in thinking that they are not the easiest of carriages when one is pushing them?

This takes me back to my ‘big high Silver Cross pram’ bought when my eldest daughter was born 41 years ago. This pram and matching bag cost the princely sum of £48. Recently I visited a pram store and was shocked to see an identical pram for £1,500 and that did not include the accessories.

My three children used the pram until they were about eighteen months old. They were comfortable, cosy and protected from the elements. I also had plenty of space for the shopping stowed in the tray underneath. I loved that pram and, being coach built, was so much easier to push than the prams of today.

What pride I took starching those broderie-anglais pillow cases and covers! I think Fraser, my youngest, was quite happy lording it over everyone in his exalted position in that pram. When I had finished using the pram I donated it to a children’s charity where I hope it found another home and a young Mum who would get as much pleasure as I did, walking miles with ‘my high pram’

Of course I do remember that in those days I didn’t have a car and stayed at home so there was no need to get children to a child-minder or nursery and I can appreciate that the modern day alternatives are probably more convenient for the age we live in.

WARTIME

While looking out photographs for this article, I came across this one of my own baby pram. I remember being told that just after the war my mother took me to stay for six months in a Clyde coast town (my father had been killed during the war). Two of my aunts worked in a very high class hotel and often my mother would take an afternoon walk with me in the pram and would be invited into the staff quarters for a cup of tea. Apparently I was taken out of the pram and often exhibited around the guests. Often my mother said that I would be returned to her with silver coins tucked into my apparel.

As the weeks went past my mother thought I was getting very heavy as she pushed me up the hill to our flat. One day my aunts said to her, ‘Did you get the coal?’ Unknown to my mother, while she was having her cup of tea and I was being shown off, someone was slipping a few pieces of coal into the body of the pram, the prams in those days had a hollow underneath the base then a mattress was put on top, so unknown to my mother not only was she pushing me around the town and along the esplanade but also coal!