by Mum
The story of John & Linda began almost 50 years ago in a small flat in South Norwood, London. But the yearning for a new adventure soon took us to Watchet in Somerset. When we first got to Somerset, John dabbled in a variety of jobs; everything from selling double-glazed windows, to dishwashing, to collecting football pools. He may have retired early but he certainly packed in a lot of different jobs in his lifetime!
Our next big step was moving into a six-bedroom house on Seaview Terrace, which would later become Westward Guest House. And no, it wasn’t named after a mental hospital ward like Lara has suggested; it was because it faced west! Ah, the good old days when you could get a 100% mortgage on a six-bedroom house with a few minor embellishments for the bank manager!
We started by decorating and renting out four bedsits. One memorable tenant would work nights and come home in the morning leaving a distinct aroma throughout throughout the house. When John inquired about the smell, the man responded that he was a night chicken catcher. For quite some time we thought that he was pulling our leg, knowing that we were from the smoke and naïve to country living. Little did we know that he was telling the truth and did go out every night to catch as many chickens as he could grab in the dark for “transport”.
The bedsits, which became Westward Guest House, were just the beginning of our business collaborations. Next it was onto our store, Country Matters, where an impatient John upset the council by not waiting for permission to knock out the old shop front!
