TOGETHER they notch up a staggering 183 years. One of Southampton's oldest residents celebrates her milestone 105th birthday on Monday - on the same day as son Ken's 78th.

Elizabeth Cornforth's life spans three centuries. She was born in 1899 when horse-drawn trams still trundled through the streets of Southampton.

And the mum-and-son team say long-life is in the family genes - as well as being down to regular good food.

Elizabeth Bromby grew up in Eastfield Road, St Denys, with 15 brothers and sisters, though six died in infancy.

She recalls swimming in the River Itchen, staying off school to look after her siblings and having pigs at the bottom of the garden which were slaughtered once a year and sold to pay for clothes.

At 22, she married Frank Cornforth in St Denys Church after they met while working at Northam's margarine factory.

The couple moved to Romsey Road, Shirley and opened a sweet shop in St Mary's Road. In 1932, they transferred their shop, The Bon Bon, and home to Burgess Road, in Swaythling.

They stayed there for nearly 30 years and even became known as Mr and Mrs Bon Bon.

Great-grandmother-of-five Elizabeth said: "We saw all the boys from the nearby school grow up.

"They used to bring their young ladies down from camp when they came back to Southampton during the war.

"There were a lot of shortages of money, and we went all through rationing.

"We sold everything from Quality Street and Black Magic to sherbet dabs, lolly pops and liquorice."

Son Gordon was born in 1926 and Ken followed four years later, on November 8. Frank died in 1973, and in 1998 Elizabeth moved to her current home in Westwood Road, Highfield, where she's celebrated every landmark birthday since.

She said: "I don't know what the secret is - though I've always had a good appetite.

"All my family are fairly long-lived. It must be something in our make-up."

Ken, who'll be taking his mum out for Sunday lunch to celebrate, added: "My birthdays have kind of been forgotten in the past three years. When you get beyond 100 it overshadows anything else - but I don't mind."