Web Page  No 2196

Welcome to Martin Stanwood who has just joined us and remembers being in Chalky Whites Class.

Top Picture: Tie Press

 Second Picture: Hallway Brush Set

 Next Picture: Childs paraffin nightlight

Bottom Picture: Table Brush

All Long Gone.

Whilst wandering around a rather jumbled museum in the grounds of  Calbourne Mill on the Isle of Wight recently I spotted several things that we all took for granted in the 1950’s and 60’s and that are no longer around in most homes.

It all started off when I spotted a wooden tie press just like the one illustrated above, I do not remember my father or any of my male relatives ever having or using one but they always seemed to turn up at the troop Jumble and Rummage sales when I was a Wolf Cub and Boy Scout. So too did hat brushes, those specially curved ones for brushing the brim of the hat, because practically every man worn a hat in those days and they had to look their best. The set also came with round brushes for buffing up the crown.

Many homes at this time had a brush and mirror set hanging prominently in the hall, so that the adults could brush down their coats and hats and check in the mirror before they went out. This is something that is never seen in the home these days. Us kids we had to make do with a spit wash!!!!

One other accessory that was popular for men was the brush and comb set it a zipped mock leather case. The set consisted of two identical brushes and one comb, so after father had liberally applied Brylcreme to his hair he could then brush it vigorously to a bright shine and drag in a straight and clear parting with the comb.

Manicure sets were popular for both men and women and these seemed to be a standard present for the distant aunt that you did not know very well!

One other type of brush I remember and I think my grandmother must have brought it with her when she moved in with us in 1952 was the table brush. I can clearly remember a small dustpan and brush no longer than six inches long, see picture, whose function in life was to brush the crumbs off the table cloth between courses. As I remember it we never used it.

Dressing table sets were also very popular. They consisted of a pink glass tray with a bowl for powder, a ring tree, a bowl for the powder puff and two matching candlesticks. I am sure we have a set like that lurking around the house somewhere.

What else? Stone and metal hot water bottles, gas stoves with a lighting lance or gun on the side and a modern eye level grill. I must agree with Flanders and Swann when they sing about the benefits of an eye level grill so that the hot fat can squirt straight into your eyes without you having to bend down.

Wheelbarrows with wooden wheels which creaked when pushed, large captious prams with a compartment under the mattress for mother to store her shopping. Hobby horses and metal wheeled roller skates, coal scuttles and companion sets, dried peas, (handy for the pea shooter), Monk and Glass custard powder, the list could be endless.

Various forms of ash trays some on stands, match box holders table lighters and cigarette cases were all around in our youth as were loudspeakers wire around the house and plugged into the one radio, sorry wireless, in the house. Our radio was in the front room and my father had wire a loudspeaker into the kitchen so my mother could listen to her programmes while she cooked and did the washing!

White enamelled bread bins with coloured lettering were popular and these also had coloured lettering on the side saying Bread, just in case you forgot. Cheese was kept in the Larder (they also area a thing of the past) under a china cheese wedge, meat was kept in the metal meat safe with tiny holes in the sides so that the flies could not get in, flour and sugar was stored in ceramic pots and almost everyone had preserving jars full of fruit, vegetables and sometimes pickled eggs.

Sheets, blankets, eiderdowns and counterpanes, large bolsters and pillows are what we slept under the duvet had not crossed the English Channel then. Small paraffin night lights were popular to dispel the dark when we were very small, despite being dangerous they gave a warm comforting glow, I remember mine was a blue one and my one of my parents used to light it very evening when they put me to bed.  

Keep in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write:

Chris Writes:-

Another thing I remember from the late 50s early 60s is the tricks you could play with the telephone. I remember buttons A and B in the phone boxes and that if you rang the speaking clock you could get your money back, I guess they expected you to press the right button once connected, which we never did! Also we discovered that if you dialled the code for your nearest area, then made a long distance call (code and number), the system only charged you for a call to the nearby area! What a basic flaw that was.

News and Views:

On this day 22^nd September 1960-1965

On 22/09/1960 the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was Down Drury Lane to Memory Lane - A Hundred and One Strings. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1961 the number one single was Reach for the Stars / Climb Ev'ry Mountain - Shirley Bassey and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was "Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £Argentinian swims English Channel both ways non-stop and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Take Your Pick (AR)".

On 22/09/1962 the number one single was She's Not You - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Best of Ball Barber & Bilk. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1964 the number one single was You Really Got Me - Kinks and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 22/09/1965 the number one single was Make It Easy On Yourself - Walker Brothers and the number one album was Help - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.