Chapter Two - a little bit of house history.

3 Falmouth Road, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 8PU was built circa 1890. That makes it 120 years old. That is quite old. There were no cars then. Photographic evidence is available. It has been our family home for 11 years. I moved here with my ex-husband and 2 year old daughter Maia in August 2001. The house had been partially renovated by the previous owners and needed lots more work to transform it into the beautiful home that it is now. Somewhere in one of my many boxes of old photographs ( I am sure lots of people have a similar mountain of photos that never quite made it into albums ) there lies the photographic evidence of how hideous the kitchen, bathroom, study, master bedroom and hallway were back in 2001.  The walls were mostly covered in anaglypta which was bizarrely painted a pastel pink colour throughout ; the bathroom suite was a sickly shade of avocado. There was a hideous 70's mock stone fireplace in the kitchen and the garden was a mostly  bare green rectangle with an ugly concrete path.

I understand that the house was in multiple occupation for many years and was once inhabited by several immigrant taxi-drivers so it has a colourful multi-cultural history to be proud of. Well done house ! I have also discovered  that 3 Falmouth Road was a student house in the 90's as one of my neighbours apparently spent many late nights drinking and smoking at number 3 with fellow students. I like that story..... a lot.

Our first 18 months living here were filled with builders, floor sanders, student decorators and plasterers. My ex-husband and I also worked very hard decorating and planning our dream kitchen layout whilst working and being devoted parents at the same time. A particular highlight was the day I discovered an old sash window in a skip on the Gloucester Road. Our local sash window specialists, A E Thomas on Bishop Road, crafted a beautiful window frame and the room was transformed from a second reception room which was blighted by a nasty 70's window  into a light-filled study.

Another highlight was searching for the perfect cast iron feature fire surround for the master bedroom. This search took me to the fascinating reclamation yards in the depths of the Black Country for a bargain piece and the trip was successful. Another room transformed from grotty characterless square to what is now my favourite room in the house !

During the last 11 years the sitting room has had lots of different disguises. We were told that the entire ceiling collapsed on the previous owner and had to be replaced. It was fully renovated by them and was painted a fairly vivid green. It stayed that colour for a while as there was so much else to be done. Then one sunny day in 2002 my sisters and I did a one day paint job and my ex returned home from work to a beautifully cosy purple sitting room - which worked really well at the time. It has since been revamped several times and has sported shocking pink alcoves before assuming it's current calming neutral hues.

My son Ezra was born in this sitting room on 30th June 2003. One day the Bristol Civic Society may decide to erect a blue plaque stating that Ezra Angel was born in this house and lived here from 2003 until 2012. They may decide to erect a second plaque stating that Maia Angel lived here from 2001 to 2012  and a third  stating that Lara Angel lived here from 2001 to 2012. Alternatively there may decide upon a single large blue plaque stating that 3 Falmouth Road was home to the Angel family from 2001 to 2012. I like that little fantasy....a lot.