Memorable stuff from your formative years

[solomon88]

Pantries. This is a pic of the house I lived in from1954 to 1959 (I was 5-10 years old at the time).

The small extension on the left consisted of two rooms. The room in front was the coal hole which contained coal. Coal was the only form of heating we had.

The room in the back was the pantry. It was the room where we stored everything that nowadays would be kept in the fridge (butter, meat anything that needed to be kept cool).

The reason we didn't keep stuff in the fridge is because we didn't have one...

View attachment 553482

Good design, environmentally friendly - no electric fridge needed. I'll bet there were plenty of shops in walking distance, fresh food and perishables bought as required and not stored for long. We've lost a lot of sensible things over the last 50 years.

 

[endure]

Good design, environmentally friendly - no electric fridge needed. I'll bet there were plenty of shops in walking distance, fresh food and perishables bought as required and not stored for long. We've lost a lot of sensible things over the last 50 years.

Parker Morris Committee - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[retread2]

Silver threepenny bits in the Christmas pud...

Jumpers for goalposts . . .

 

[tiv]

Pantries. This is a pic of the house I lived in from1954 to 1959 (I was 5-10 years old at the time).

The small extension on the left consisted of two rooms. The room in front was the coal hole which contained coal. Coal was the only form of heating we had.

The room in the back was the pantry. It was the room where we stored everything that nowadays would be kept in the fridge (butter, meat anything that needed to be kept cool).

The reason we didn't keep stuff in the fridge is because we didn't have one...

View attachment 553482

An aunt and uncle used to have a thing called an Osokool. Basically a ceramic box with an insulated door. Hollow on the top kept filled with water that percolated through the ceramic and evaporated keeping the interior coolish.

Our house at the time had a larder in it. Sort of large cupboard in the kitchen with a thick concrete slab shelf at worktop height that was always cool and there were vents to allow air to circulate with zinc mesh grills to keep insects out.

 

[Northern_Biff]

Parker Morris Committee - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Grr Thatcher for scrapping the standards in public housing in 1980 and Grr Boris for re-introducing the improved standards for London in 2010.

I must confess, I didn't know such standards existed in social housing. I do know that all housing including private these days is tiny in comparison to older houses.

 

[LeoRoverman]

The reason we didn't keep stuff in the fridge is because we didn't have one...

BY, you lived in a house and yer didn't have a fridge?......
That's luxury that is? Sheer luxury

 

[beefer]

Jumpers for goalposts . . .

Rickets, Polio, Diphtheria...

We were spoilt rotten.

 

[TamH70]

Rickets, Polio, Diphtheria...

We were spoilt rotten.

Don't forget the mumps and the measles. Both of which I got and both of which nearly shuffled me off of this mortal coil. We were built tougher back then.

 

[A signaller]

BY, you lived in a house and yer didn't have a fridge?......
That's luxury that is? Sheer luxury

4 Yorkshire men walt.

 

[Maninthestreet]

Thalidomide for morning sickness. That went well.

Hi Fliddy Dave if you're still out there

 

[beefer]

Don't forget the mumps and the measles. Both of which I got and both of which nearly shuffled me off of this mortal coil. We were built tougher back then.

I always wanted some of those National Health wee round glasses with one cardboard eye so that I could be bullied and not be able to get up again because of my leg-irons.

Just as well a didn’t have them as I wouldn’t have been happy in the RAF Regiment.

 

[tiv]

Grr Thatcher for scrapping the standards in public housing in 1980 and Grr Boris for re-introducing the improved standards for London in 2010.

I must confess, I didn't know such standards existed in social housing. I do know that all housing including private these days is tiny by comparison to older houses.

Not just in the home but outside. The MoD/MoS house we moved into mid 50's was on an estate. As built a couple of areas were left grassed where we could have a kick about and not bother anyone. With the passage of time the larger area now has houses on as has another steeply sloped bit we used to roll down to get dizzy. The houses also all had decent size gardens. My father grew all the vegetables my mother needed in it.

 

[A signaller]

Falling in the Clapton common pond, aged about 4-5, and being stripped, and wrapped up in dads jacket, carried on to a trolley bus, and having all the old biddys laughing and cooing as dad explained why his son is wrapped up in an old jacket.......Early 50's

 

[Northern_Biff]

Rickets, Polio, Diphtheria...

We were spoilt rotten.

And the BBC TV test card......they don't make shows as informative as that these days.

 

[RBMK]

I fell into the boating lake on the seafront in the Isle of Man, 1966.

Still, I got a new T shirt and shorts out of it

 

[triggerigger]

Getting a Dr's appointment when your parents had walked to the phone box and if you were properly ill a Dr would come and see you. Arranging to be at the phone box on Sunday evenings so my fathers parents who had a phone could ring him.
Reverse charges if you had to ring home and had no money
Actually having no money.

 

[ericferret]

Falling in the Clapton common pond, aged about 4-5, and being stripped, and wrapped up in dads jacket, carried on to a trolley bus, and having all the old biddys laughing and cooing as dad explained why his son is wrapped up in an old jacket.......Early 50's

Roast belly pork for sunday dinner where the fat was about an inch thick.
Lost due to government breeding policies.
Hence the Lincolnshire curly coat pig went extinct in the early seventies.
Now if by chance anybody knows of a good source for fat belly pork please let me in on it.

 

[ericferret]

Getting a Dr's appointment when your parents had walked to the phone box and if you were properly ill a Dr would come and see you. Arranging to be at the phone box on Sunday evenings so my fathers parents who had a phone could ring him.
Reverse charges if you had to ring home and had no money
Actually having no money.

Mum and dad comming home with the shopping, walked into town to save the bus fare, bus back to carry the bags. Then sitting working out where all the money had gone to see if he could afford to go out.. Dad off to the Red Lion in Hucknall to play dominoes with his mates and drink his weekly one pint of bitter.

 

[kiwidoug]

In my home town in the fifties There was a guy who rented out washing machines for a morning or afternoon single tub with a wringer on top

Then John Bloom started selling twin tubs with spin dryers, direct to the public. Rolls washing machines, I think they were. Great improvement over the mangles. My Gran bought one, thought iwas the best thing since WW2 ended. Said she could get a cup of tea while the machine did the work.

 

[tiv]

Getting a Dr's appointment when your parents had walked to the phone box and if you were properly ill a Dr would come and see you. Arranging to be at the phone box on Sunday evenings so my fathers parents who had a phone could ring him.
Reverse charges if you had to ring home and had no money
Actually having no money.

Appointment? Back then you just all piled into the waiting room, late comers stood outside. And you had to remember who was ahead of you so you didn't miss your turn.