Josiah Shean passed away in 1949 and Beatrice in 1966, aged 79. This left Annie Shean in the cottage alone. Annie, or 'Miss Shean' as she was commonly known, was a quiet, reserved lady. Born in Stratford in 1889 and baptised in the Parish of St. Marks, Whitechapel eight years later. She worked as a Domestic Servant when younger and remained a spinster all her life.

The living room in Miss Shean's cottage was always dark. This was due to a tree outside blocking the light. Once when wasps were a particular nuisance, a trap was made using a piece of string tied around a jam jar neck to form a handle. The jar was then half-filled with water and a tablespoon of sweet strawberry jam dropped in. It was then hung outside on a tree. The next day, 6-7 wasps had drowned while attempting to get the jam. This procedure was repeated. Quite a few flying pests met their demise this way. Before aerosols this was a common way to kill wasps and better for the environment than using poisonous sprays.