What was it called?

[Margaret Pilkington]

It was a Donkey stone.........and they came in different colours......cream, sand and a sort of donkey grey....which might be why they are called donkey stones.
You could buy them from hardware stores, or the rag man would give them to you if you gave him jam-jars, bottles or rags(yes we were re-cycling way back then).
I am sure the Stall that was in Accrington Market hall(Matthews) had them for sale right up until they refurbished the market hall........I can't say I have seen any recently though...they seem to have gone upmarket.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

It was a Donkey stone.........and they came in different colours......cream, sand and a sort of donkey grey....which might be why they are called donkey stones.
You could buy them from hardware stores, or the rag man would give them to you if you gave him jam-jars, bottles or rags(yes we were re-cycling way back then).
I am sure the Stall that was in Accrington Market hall(Matthews) had them for sale right up until they refurbished the market hall........I can't say I have seen any recently though...they seem to have gone upmarket.

You are right - I remember the name now

[Margaret Pilkington]

Glad I could solve that one Margaret....you are usually much faster than me.
It is annoying when the name is just out of reach.

[Margaret Pilkington]

My gran used to scrub her front steps(there were about seven of them).......then she would donkey stone the sides of the steps, and woe betide if you walked on the donkey stoned bit........you would get a telling off, and if you did it again, you got your legs slapped.
They used to donkey stone the window bottoms too.
If you didn't do the donkey stoning, then you were known as a 'slattern'......not a good housewife....a bit of a slut, but not in the(bedroom) context it is used today.

[MargaretR]

An interesting site about the manufacture of donkey stones and why they are so called
Eli Whalley & Company, Manufacturers of Donkey Stones

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

A pummy (pumice)stone is not the same - pummy stones rubbed the hard skin off your feet.

I recall it as a dobby stone but an internet search decribes a dobby stone as having a hole - which it didn't

If I remember rightly Margaret, pumice stone is made from larva, I have a piece in the bathroom somewhere

[garinda]

Dear oracle, otherwise known as the wise ones of Accy Web.

Another question for you.

Many terraces houses had a little niche, on level with the step, and to the side of the front door.

They were either domed, or had a gothic type arch at the top. Many had a little metal rail, running across the bottom of the niche, a couple of inches up. I guess they were about twelve inches high, by eight inches wide.

I always presumed they were for milk. However the houses were built pre-milk bottles.

So did the jug live in there?

Did the milk man fill the jug fron the churn, then put it in there?

Did they have those lace/beaded covers, to keep the flies off? I can't imagine milkmen faffing about, putting lace doiles back on all the jugs.

Why were they placed so low? They could easily have been a target for a dog to cock it's leg.

Can anyone remember people using them?

Any information greatly appreciated.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by garinda

Dear oracle, otherwise known as the wise ones of Accy Web.

Another question for you.

Many terraces houses had a little niche, on level with the step, and to the side of the front door.

They were either domed, or had a gothic type arch at the top. Many had a little metal rail, running across the bottom of the niche, a couple of inches up. I guess they were about twelve inches high, by eight inches wide.

I always presumed they were for milk. However the houses were built pre-milk bottles.

So did the jug live in there?

Did the milk man fill the jug fron the churn, then put it in there?

Did they have those lace/beaded covers, to keep the flies off? I can't imagine milkmen faffing about, putting lace doiles back on all the jugs.

Why were they placed so low? They could easily have been a target for a dog to cock it's leg.

Can anyone remember people using them?

Any information greatly appreciated.

Can't help you there........I can't remember seeing anything like that...or if I did it didn't register.
I will be interested to see the replies........and a picture if anyone has one.

[MargaretR]

It was likely a boot scraper

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

It was likely a boot scraper

I'm thinking they wern't deep enough for that job , know the thing (nook) that Garinda is thinking about , but don't remember them on terraced house , one of the 'better' houses I used to deliver papers to had one, I'm thinking it was built after the turn of the century (After most terraced houses), so it could have been for milk bottles.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

It was likely a boot scraper

Could have been.

Or a clog scraper.



They weren't very deep though, so you'd only be able to scrape the front of your boot/clog.

I remember the demolished houses in Cross St. had them, and I think one of the streets near Ossy Mills still have them.

[MargaretR]

To illustrate my point - read the caption under the photo in this link
Cirencester Boot Scrapers | Slow Travels

[garinda]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

It was likely a boot scraper

Looks like the wise woman MararetR is right!

Couldn't find any reference to milk niches, but boot scrapers, and bingo!

They're certainly shown on these photographs, and listed as boot scrapers, on this site about Canterbury.

Cossington Road, Canterbury

[Margaret Pilkington]

Oh yes, now I know what you mean........the posh houses had the recess...but the common houses just had a boot scraper by the side of the front door.......cast iron...some were a little bit fancy(perforated flowers as decoration), but some were very plain.
My gran in Sheffield had a very plain one by her front step...no recess, just the cast iron scraper.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by steeljack

I'm thinking they wern't deep enough for that job , know the thing (nook) that Garinda is thinking about , but don't remember them on terraced house , one of the 'better' houses I used to deliver papers to had one, I'm thinking it was built after the turn of the century (After most terraced houses), so it could have been for milk bottles.

They were on 'oridinary' terraced houses in Ossy.

I think Margaret is right.

Probably didn't catch on round here because we didn't have dainty southern trotters, but big plates of meat, shod in big heavy boots, or hefty clogs.



Thanks Margaret. x