The House

The Wynding
The 4 houses in the Wynding were built in 1901 for family members of the second Lord Armstrong. There were originally known as the Wynding Villers and were numbered 1, 2, 3 & 4. Then later re-numbered in 1979 as 1, 3, 5 & 7.

The Servants Rooms (Top Floor)
The servants rooms were on the top floor.

The housemaids shared a room looking over the back of the house (“Maids”). There is a bell above the inside of the door in case they were needed through the night.

The housekeeper and her husband had the front room (“Housekeepers) and the small single room (“Butler”) was used as a dressing room for the butler / chauffeur. He could possibly be the housekeeper’s husband.

Servants entrants at rear, this is also where clothes would be washed over a fire in the small yard.

The staff in the house were never allowed to use the front door entrance, only the servants entrance with access along the gantry path along the side of number 7. All tradesmen had to use the servants entrance for delivery.

The Servants part of the house was the kitchen, scullery and utility areas with an outside toilet for their use.

The washing was done in the yard. There was a fire lit underneath the part of the house where the chimney is and the water boiled in a large tub, that was then emptied into the yard after use.

Jenny & George

Jenny came from Murton in County Durham from a mining family. When she left school, she went to work for a doctor in Sunderland (in service) as a maid. When war was breaking out, the doctor evacuated to Bamburgh, bringing Jenny and her sister, Ellen, with them as maids.

George helped his father deliver milk around Bamburgh from Greenhill Farm on a horse and cart. George met Jenny at the start of the war whilst delivering milk.

Gorge helping his father Jimmy deliver milk to local Bamburgh residents.

Jenny joined the WAAF’s as a driver when she was 21. She was stationed (or billeted) at Milfield, near Wooler.

After a hard day’s work on the farm, George would cycle to Milfield to see Jenny and return home again. She was eventually posted to London to work as a driver in the WAAF’s, billeted in St. John’s Wood. She drove ambulances, wagons, sometimes travelling all over England with deliveries. She also drove cars with Senior Officers in. Just before the Normandy landings, she was driving soldiers to the coast every day, not knowing what was about to happen.

When war ended, she was in Trafalgar Square celebrating with the crowds. She then returned home to Murton, where George came to visit her and they decided to get married.

Jenny and George on their wedding day.
Jenny’s dress was one loaned from the scheme set up by President Roosevelt’s wife Eleanor where Americans’ loan their stored dresses to English brides.

They were married on 27th October 1945 and moved to Armstrong Cottages in Bamburgh.

The Family

Pat at the Library House in Bamburgh Castle, where she lived when she was a young girl

In 1947, George and Jenny had their first child – Patricia. On 12th August 1950, the cottages that Jenny and George lived in was burnt to the ground, whilst outside painting work was being carried out. The family were re-housed in a flat, The Library House, in Bamburgh Castle.

Pat can remember the French Lady Armstrong (Wife of second Baron Armstrong) coming for a walk and calling in for a cup of tea. She was then the Dowedger Lady Armstrong. The other apartments were rented mostly by famous actors and actresses from London.

In 1952, Trevor was born in the castle itself, it is thought that Trevor was the last person to have been born within the castle grounds.

Trevor (4th from left at back) can be seen here representing Bamburgh Cricket Team with some other local top Gentlemen (1980s). The four small windows in the castle, top right of the picture, is the library house where Trevor was born.

The family moved from Bamburgh Castle in 1955 into another cottage in Bamburgh. George had to get lighter work than farm work as he hurt his back. Mrs Susan Morton bought 5 The Wynding after her husband died for £3000.00. George went to work for her there as a chauffeur/gardener. Her brother Captain Storey, a retired army captain, also came to live with her. Jenny also used to work there to help with cooking and later, when Captain Storey died and Mrs Morton became frail, Jenny nursed her for a few years. When she died in 1970, she left the house, the contents and the Rover car to Jenny and George in her will. They decided the only way that they could keep the house was to run it as a B&B. The family slept on the top floor, letting the 5 bedrooms below.

George ran a taxi business doing weddings with the Rover. Lady Armstrong, the Italian Countess (Wife of third Baron Armstrong), was one of George’s regular customers for many years.

George & Jenny held many parties in their home over the years. It was known as the party house and Jenny was famous for her cooking and her coffee with coffee mate (brandy!)

Jenny and George carried on with their work for many years, until they reached their 80’s.

George died on 14th October 2014, aged 96 years, and Jenny died 11th September 2018, aged 97 years.

In their wills, they asked if the family would try to keep the house stating, “It was a gift to us so we want to pass the gift onto our children and grandchildren.”

Bamburgh, 5 The Wynding and the Aitchison’s History in Photos