Every Picture Tells A Story: Susan Brambell

Mariette at Greystones Harbour 1959

ne of those people who just make Greystones a happier, sunnier place to live, we’ve always reckoned that Susan Brambell must come from merry and hardy stock.

And what do you know, we was right.

Having first attempted to kickstart this new Every Picture Tells A Story column four years ago with work experience wonder Seaneen, we’ve finally gotten around to chasing a few local families down for their postcards from the past.

And who better to jump back with than Ms Brambell, who first gives us a little of that family history…

The family story actually begins in Enniskerry, with my great, great aunt Elizabeth Lilian ( always known as Lil) Buckley marrying George Stevenson. They lived in Mount View on Church Road, now Camile Thai, and he worked as a builder/painter in the town. They had no children and my grandfather (Lil’s nephew) was sent on school holidays to keep them company.

When George died in 1912 aged 53, Lil rented out the house every summer for income and she’d live in the green tin house out the back. My grandfather, Jack Fair, continued to spend many summers with her to help her and keep her company.

Susan and her fella

Later she sold the house to a Buckley cousin of hers, and from then on she lived full time in the green tin house out the back of Mount View. She lived there until she died in 1961.

One of the photos below is the family gathering in the doorway of the tin house.

That’s the sum total of our family connection with the town tho until I arrived in November 2003, and settled in Hillside. I’d been out a bit as a kiddo in the ’70s because my granny Brambell was very friendly with a family called Benson, who lived on the seafront. He might have been a doctor. She’d bring us out on the train to visit them. In the ’80s, I came to visit school friend Ruth Spurling; I’ve vague but fun memories of a disco in some stables.

When Lily was born in 2003, we decided to move from our apartment in Monkstown, and Stephen, who had moved over from Colorado, fell in love with Greystones when we were looking around. I’m so glad he did.

Malcolm at Greystones Harbour 1959

So, the first two are my folks, Mariette and Malcolm, at Greystones harbour in 1959.

They’d married in ’58, and were living in Dubiln, but often day-tripped out to Greystones, wearing their Sunday finest, to soak up the sea air. Dad would have taken his picture himself on a tripod and a timer.

He was an advocate of the early selfie and he didn’t trust mum with his camera; she never failed to clip off a head.

Those maternal relatives…

Next up is more old relatives, my grandfather (on my mother’s side) is back row, third from the right.

He spent a lot of time in Greystones as a child and later as an adult. He lived up north but was sent every summer to stay with his aunt, Lil Stephens (front row, second from the right), who owned Mount View on Church Rd, now the delicious Camile Thai. She’d been widowed at a young age and had no children, so, he was sent to help her and keep her company. She used to rent out the house every summer for income, and they’d live in the green tin house out back. This photo is taken in the doorway of the tin house in the late ’20s or early ’30s.

Eventually, she sold the house to a branch of the family and she lived out her years in the tin house.

Hillside from above

So, the one of Hillside I took from the air – way, way, way before drones or Google maps.

I did a flying lesson from Newcastle airfield, and made sure we flew round and round over Greystones until I found my house and photographed it. It was really hard to get bearings from the air; everything becomes flattened and very one dimensional.

I had to go round a good few times and then bingo. I loved seeing everything from above, to look at something familiar from a different perspective is very satisfying.

Hillside gets a little snowed in…

Lastly, another Hillside one, taken in the big snow, which was maybe 2010?

I love living in Hillside; I’d no idea when we bought here back in 2003 what an amazing place it would be to live in. The neighbours, the community spirit, the big green and the proximity to schools and shops have all made it the best place for our family to be.

The big snow (other than at the moment) was the first time normal busy life all came to a stop and everything paused and we looked out at this magical view for days. What’s not to love?

Darn tootin’. We’ll be adding more to our Every Picture Tells A Story strand over the coming weeks. You can also check out Ms Brambell’s incredible work here, her inspirations here, and our recent interview of how that work comes together here.