THE dress was gaudy and checked, but young Brenda Wareham wanted it.
But before she handed over the money, her mother checked all the stitching and seams.
"We had gone to Northwich so I could get my first shop-bought dress," said Brenda.
"It was not as high a standard as the clothes my mother made but I still thought it was wonderful."
An only child, Brenda grew up in Cranford Avenue with her parents Jessie and Stanley.
Stanley was the storekeeper at Rajar Photographic Works, now Ilford's, and Jessie, a tailoress, made beautiful coats, dresses and suits.
"During the war I was so lucky because my mother used to make me lovely clothes," said Brenda, now 69.
"But at the time I did'nt really appreciate them."
After attending Egerton school, Brenda passed the entrance exam for both Altrincham Grammar and Northwich Grammar.
She chose Altrincham, but can't recall much from her school years.
"I don't have very strong memories about whether I liked school or not," she said. But she does have strong memories about her first job after she left school at 16.
"My auntie got me a job at the Inspector of Taxes in Altrincham and I hated every minute of it," she said.
Brenda, who had always been interested in art and drawing, detested numbers.
But she stuck it out as a tax clerk until she left the job aged 21.
"It was the end of the war and everything was in turmoil," she said. "You couldn't pick or choose jobs."
Brenda left the office to marry master builder George Pemberton.
They wed at Knutsford's Unitarian Chapel where the couple had first met at youth club meetings.
But it took Brenda a while to adjust to being Mrs Pemberton.
"George was from such a big family and it was odd for an only child," she said.
"It seemed that everybody I met in Knutsford was a Pemberton or were related to a Pemberton."
The family were prolific builders and John Henry, George's grandad, told Brenda the history of Tatton's Rostherne wall.
"During a bad winter many Irish people had came over looking for work," she said.
"Lord Egerton used to let them camp in his grounds and under Pemberton's supervision they built a portion of the wall each day."
The young couple first lived in Stanley Road and moved to Mellor Crescent before settling in George Street.
They had three children, David, who died of multiple sclerosis at 27, Mark and Christine.
When her marriage to George ended in 1962, Brenda found her vocation - teaching.
"The training was really hard," she said. "When I left the tax inspectorate I had only written shopping lists and read a few Agatha Christie books."
But her work paid off and three years later she secured a post teaching the reception class at Lower Peover School.
"I loved teaching, especially children that had problems with things like reading and writing," she said.
"It was so rewarding to see them gradually improve." The pupils of Lower Peover nicknamed Brenda Mrs P or Little Mrs Pepperpot after a character in a children's book.
"I still get a Christmas card from an ex-pupil, who lives in Scotland, addressed to Little Mrs Pepperpot," she said.
Brenda's days at the school were extremely happy ones.
After working there a few years she switched to teaching 10 and 11-year-olds.
"I agreed to do it as long as someone else took the maths class," she said.
She controlled her pupils by using her sense of humour and keeping the children occupied.
During wet playtimes the boys did woodwork and soon proved themselves to be budding entrepreneurs.
"They got a little cottage industry going selling wooden keyrings to the staff and their families," said Brenda.
But rather than chastising the boys, Brenda encouraged their little enterprise.
"I got them to keep books about the costings and profits," she said.
Brenda retired from teaching 12 years ago after her second husband Alan Moss died.
"We were only married for two years but had been very happy," she said.
She kept in touch with teaching by offering private tuition at her St John's Road home.
But 12 months ago Brenda finally put down her marking pen and ended her teaching career.
Despite this the grandma-of-two remains passionate about education.
"Teaching is instinctive - it is a certain feeling you have got to have," she said.
Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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