The joy of pushing a grandchild in your own baby’s old pram
.. . even if they’re unwieldy, weigh a ton – and you can’t get them in the car boot!
THANKS to high-profile mums including the Duchess of Cambridge, who has an antique black Millson Prince formerly owned by the Queen, and pop star Cheryl Tweedy, who took delivery of a new Silver Cross while pregnant with her son Bear, coach-built prams have become the fashionable baby accessory. Modern versions cost up to £5,000. But many families have simply dug their vintage model out of a loft or garage, as these proud grandmothers and mothers explain to EIMEAR O’HAGAN...
IT MAKES EVEN THE MOST NAP-RESISTANT TOT SLEEPY
Sally BraDShaW, 61, lives in Croydon, Surrey. a widow, she has six children and nine grandchildren. Sally says: I uSed to transport my Silver Cross grosvenor in my Mini. The wheels would go on the roof rack and the body would fit on the back seat, with a sleeping baby inside. It was my pride and joy then and still is, 39 years later.
My parents bought it for me when I was first pregnant in 1979, paying £150. It was expensive but it was an investment because these prams were built to last. I chose it because I loved its white paintwork and wide, flat base, which meant it could be used as a carry cot.
I used the pram with all six of my children, and when the youngest outgrew it I slathered the chrome in Vaseline to stop it rusting, wrapped everything in bubble wrap and stored it in my loft, ready for grandchildren.
Before my first grandchild was born 14 years ago, I got the pram out and ordered new tyres and a brake pad from Silver Cross. But apart from that, it was in perfect condition.
Little Roberta, aged one, is my youngest grandchild and I love taking her to the park in it. The secret to a contented baby is a good pram. A stroll in mine soon sends even a napresistant grandchild off to sleep, then I park it in the garden like I used to with my own.
I see so many babies now being pushed around in car seats, but that’s not good for their spines. In my pram babies can lie flat and have lots of space, so they’re much happier. Daughter Olivia Scarffe, 36, is a teacher and Sally’s third child. She lives in South Nutfield, Surrey, with her husband Nigel, 43, and their children teddy, four, and roberta, one. Olivia says: MuM has devoted her life to raising her children and grandchildren, always with her beautiful pram to hand. I remember pushing my younger siblings around in it when we were little. We joke that Mum is a hoarder, but this is one thing I’m very glad she kept.
AFTER A £550 REVAMP, IT LOOKS WONDERFUL
Julie leggett, 51, is a housewife and lives in ely, Cambridgeshire, with her husband Neil, 56, a company director. Julie says: The first time I placed my grandson William in my Marmet pram, three weeks after his birth in January, I felt an overwhelming mix of emotions. I was elated to be a grandmother, especially because William arrived after my daughter Natasha had suffered three miscarriages. But there was also sadness because the first baby to use it had been my eldest, Nicholas, who died in a car accident in 2001, aged 16.
As William slept, swaddled against the cold, he could have been Nicholas and for a moment I felt tearful. But the pleasure I feel pushing William around in my pram helps soothe the pain.
My parentsinlaw, Terry and Wendy, bought me the pram in 1985 when I was expecting Nicholas. It cost £250, or £1,300 in today’s money. I used it with both Nicholas and Natasha until they were around two. It was heavier to steer than my friends’ buggies but it looked so beautiful.
Once Natasha outgrew it, I wrapped it up and stored it in the garage, already thinking about grandchildren. I knew it still had years of use in it. After Natasha had her 12week scan last year, I sent it to a company called Fylde Coachbuilt Prams, in Lancashire, that restores antique prams.
They deepcleaned the fabric, cleaned the wheels and replaced the spokes on the hood. It cost £550 but I couldn’t believe how wonderful it looked.
When I take William out in it, we get lots of compliments, especially from older women. It evokes such fond memories for them.
After Natasha returns to work, I will be looking after William even more. I can’t wait. Daughter Natasha Fairhead, 29, is a legal executive who lives in little Downham, Cambridgeshire, with her husband luke, 36, and their seven-month-old son William. Natasha says: SeeINg the pride on my mum’s face as she pushes William around her village makes me very happy. It gives her so much pleasure using the pram again. Personally I find it a bit big and heavy, but I know
Mum has a strong emotional attachment to her Marmet.
ADMIRERS STOP US IN THE STREET
Lorna Jarman, 70, is a retired engineer and lives in Beaconsfield, Bucks. She has two children and four grandchildren. Lorna says: My Silver Cross Balmoral was given to me by my mother, lilian. She bought it secondhand in the early Seventies to use with my children ross and emma and their cousins, but i believe it’s from the Fifties. More than 30 years later it’s still going strong. it was stored in my garage until my eldest grandchild was born in 2010, when i had some repairs done to the suspension straps and the brakes. That only cost me £58.
Since then i’ve used it with all four grandchildren and there really is nothing like taking them for a stroll in it. its spacious, sturdy design means the baby is well protected from any jolts. As they get older they can sit upright in it and see the world go by. i remember emma used to love posting letters, as she was at eye level with the postbox.
i’d never swap it for a modern pram. i joke that even though i have a degree in engineering, i find them terribly complicated to fold up and down.Women of my generation stop me in the street to admire it, and i feel very proud to own a piece of design history. Daughter emma Burnet, 38, is a Pr consultant and lives in London with her son Leander, 23 months. emma says: i hAve a Baby Jogger City Mini buggy which i can fold up and down one-handed and is very lightweight. Mum’s pram isn’t the most practical — you can’t take it into shops with narrow aisles — but it’s beautiful.
MY DAUGHTER HAD BEGGED ME TO KEEP IT
mary Day, 65, is a retired special educational needs coordinator. She lives in reading with her husband Brian, 72, a retired teacher. mary has two children, Jenny, 34, and andrew, 26, and two grandchildren, george, five, and Phoebe, 18 months. mary says: iT WAS Jenny who insisted i keep my navy corduroy royale pram. My parents bought it for me in 1983 when i was expecting her. it was a gift so i don’t know how much it cost, but i loved the fabric and felt it was very safe. Jenny was eight when Andrew was born, and as soon as he outgrew it she asked me not to sell it, because she wanted to use it when she became a mother. i dutifully wrapped it in plastic and stored it in the basement.
years later, when Jenny had her children, she asked me to get the pram out. Apart from a few tiny rust spots it was in great condition and didn’t need any repairs. Seeing it again was wonderful: i was transported back in time.
it’s such a big pram that i used to park it in the kitchen and bake, while Jenny or Andrew sat in it with their toys. They were high enough to see what was going on, and i could chat to them.
it has stayed at my home since i became a grandma in 2013, and both George and Phoebe use it for naps in the garden and strolls.
My son Andrew gets married next year and his fiancee Millie has already told me she’d love to use it when they have children. royales used to be described as ‘the world’s most beautiful prams’ and i’m inclined to agree. Jenny haStingS, 34, is a trustee of the charity iCP Support. She lives in yattendon, Berkshire, with her husband andy, 34, and their children george, five, and Phoebe, 21 months. Jenny says: i STill remember Mum collecting me from school with my brother Andrew sleeping in the pram. i was such a proud big sister and even then i knew i wanted to use it when i had children. The pram is a part of our family history. One day i’d love to pass it down to Phoebe for her children.