The Twig Lady Slept Here

I've signed up for an evening class on the History of Harrogate and Knaresborough at nearby Harrogate College. But yesterday, I found out a little bit about the history of the house we are living in right now. Yesterday Colin, a handyman, came to our apt. to check out a problem we had with some drapes. Turns out he's a Harrogate local and he had done some work for the lady who lived in our building before it was turned into flats. At the time he knew her she was a widow and lived in the house alone. She would collect twigs that had broken off of trees in the Stray. The twigs were purportedly for starting fires in the many fireplaces in the house. Colin says the odd thing is that she never lit a fire. She would save the twigs in baskets and buckets all throughout the house. On each stair of the staircase was a stack of newspapers about two feet tall. On the second floor was a bathtub -- full of twigs. Colin says she would ride her bicycle around the neighborhood, always with a couple of bags in tow to collect her beloved twigs.