Grandma’s accessories

My gran was a Justice of the peace (JP) and a County Councillor (CC), also a District Councillor. And a mother of one. She was unable to have more children and so threw herself wholeheartedly into useful and public work.

She had never been a one for glitz and baubles – tatt she called it, but during her period of office she had to look good when she was being followed by a camera. This happened at least twice weekly.

Her big thing was hats. She had a good head for hats and most hats suited her. She mostly wore the round variety, like an upturned plant pot, wider at the brim, narrow across the crown, but she also favoured boater-style hats, dish shaped ones and the smaller round stand-up hats like the ones the Queen wears.

Her colours were never outlandish, always muted - shades of green, pink, black white and grey - to match the formal outfit for the occasion which was usually a suit or dress and coat.

Gran had numerous handbags and even more shoes. The formal shoes matched the handbags, and, even if it was an evening photocall, had to be put on when she got up in the morning. She suffered from swollen ankles

and would never have been able to squeeze her feet into the shoes after lunch. Her everyday shoes were infinitely more varied in size, shape and colour, so that she had shoes that would fit every stage of the swelling ankles.

Jewellery was not important to her, with the exception of her chain of office, and her taste in jewellery was, like her political stance, conservative. Nothing flashy for my Granny. She preferred marcasites to diamonds and silver to gold. The only rings she wore (and never took off) were her plain silver wedding ring and engagement ring with 5 marcasites in a line. Her very few brooches were elegant but unremarkable, as were the 2 necklaces she occasionally wore.

I have most of her jewellery, and wear it sometimes, especially a brooch which was her favourite.  As a small child I loved to entertain the grownups by dressing up as Granny, with her hats, handbags, shoes and jewellery, and I am sure that I looked just as silly in them as she looked elegant.

Jean Taylor, June 2021