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House interiors

Vivienne14 said:
This might bring back memories for some members. It’s a Times Furnishing Co advert. I think this furniture was probably quite pricey.

We had a tea trolley, but it was dark brown wood. Don’t know why we had one as it was never used as a tea trolley. Initially it was used for Christmas drinks, sweets etc. Then it progressed to a home for the TV. Then it became a dumping ground for magazines and anything else that needed a home. In fact used for anything except as a tea trolley ! Viv.View attachment 173193View attachment 173194Source: British Newspaper Archive
Click to expand...
vivs photo is taken of a more modern house built in the 1930s...nothing like the houses i lived in...born in nans back to back...one small room.. table and chairs in the middle and a 2 seater sofa...cooker in the corner of the living room at the bottom of the stairs..i small scullery..sideboard with clock and radio on.. coal fire..that was it 1 bedroom and 1 attic for nan..mom dad me and my brother..moved from there when i was 5 and brother was 3...house we moved to was built about 1860...much larger as i ended up with 5 siblings...2 bedrooms and an attic but we still had to share...back and front rooms..no fancy furniture..2 cellars very large garden..damp house.. dad was forever putting up pitch paper before he put nice paper on top off that...it was not until we moved from villa st in 1972 that we had a modern house...having said all that we had the most happiest of childhoods and i would not change it for anything

lyn
 
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Astoness said:
vivs photo is taken of a more modern house built in the 1930s...nothing like the houses i lived in...born in nans back to back...one small room.. table and chairs in the middle and a 2 seater sofa...cooker in the corner of the living room at the bottom of the stairs..i small scullery..sideboard with clock and radio on.. coal fire..that was it 1 bedroom and 1 attic for nan..mom dad me and my brother..moved from there when i was 5 and brother was 3...house we moved to was built about 1860...much larger as i ended up with 5 siblings...2 bedrooms and an attic but we still had to share...back and front rooms..no fancy furniture..2 cellars very large garden..damp house.. dad was forever putting up pitch paper before he put nice paper on top off that...it was not until we moved from villa st in 1972 that we had a modern house...having said all that we had the most happiest of childhoods and i would not change it for anything

lyn
Click to expand...
My nannas house sounds like yours without the radio and the stove was in the fireplace where the kettle was always on, and a coal scuttle at the ready to keep the water warm. I explained this to our children who are both almost 50 and while they both understand are struggling with the fact that I actually lived it!
 
Old 405 line TV, wooden polished case. Square from the front but with rounded corners. A long way from front to back to accommodate the tube, and a big clunk from the channel changing knob. Smell of ozone while it was switched on. How long did the little dot last before it faded from view when it was turned off ?
Three flying ducks or geese on the wall over the mantelpiece. Always flying left to right.
Wardrobe that you could climb into and come out in Narnia. All wood construction. Smell of mothballs.
Beds with springy metal mesh on the base, and solid wooden headboards. Mattresses full of shredded 'fluffy stuff' or sometimes with big springs that had to be avoided.
Dark brown wooden hat stand with the curly wooden arms to form the hooks.
Upright piano in the front room. Never tuned, never played.
Pretty decorated pitcher of water standing in a large bowl on the dressing table.
Gazunders.
Wireless with a big blue battery, and a glass jar accumulator for the valve heaters, that was taken to a local shop for charging.
Mains plugs with 3 round pins. Mains adaptors to plug the electric fire into the light bulb holder. Fabric covered twisted flex.
Rugs, not carpets, that were taken outside and beaten with a 3 looped thing on a stick.
'Tick Tock' from the wooden cased clock on the mantelpiece.
Linoleum not 'floor covering'.
Clothes that lasted a long time, and then a bit longer when made into something else.
Companion set for the open fireplace. Toast made using a toasting fork.
Only one tap over the sink, hot water came from the kettle.
In the garden: Hula hoop, pogo stick, JakoSkates. (spelling?).

More up to date.
Trimphone.
Ball shaped vacuum cleaner that floated on its own exhaust.
Variations on a wall clock with a starburst of metal rods round it for decoration. Metamec branded.
Burco boiler.
Hotpoint twin tub.

All from my distant memory, although not all in the same house and not all at the same time.

Andrew.
 
I remember mum decorated my bedroom with lilac striped wallpaper. Looked lovely for a short while until the damp in our 1930s house stained and moulded it. Even cello tape didn't adhere to the paper when fixing up favourite pop star posters. I put the allergies I have today down to sleeping in this damp and mouldy environment for all those years. It made everything smell of mould. And of course no central heating, just coal fires until we had gas fires installed. We never had any central heating installed in that house.

Then there were the mice. I remember lying in bed hearing them scuttlng under the bed.Not nice.

So not all 'modern' 1930s housing was all it was cracked up to be. I expect it was a big disappointment to my parents. I assune today the houses have been upgraded to deal with their early problems. I know some in other areas were demolished. These must have had really serious problems posing a threat to the health of the occupants.

Viv.
 
sleep tight dont let the bed bugs bite


dad would trim the wallpaper by cutting the strip off the sides,we played with the offcuts using them as streamer. the kitchen walls were painted in white distemper. at night the bed bugs come out for the horsehair plaster. and as viv said so did the mice,you could hear them running along the ceiling.the bedroom was fitted with a small coal fire,mom carried some hot coal up and put in there of a night but still the damp made our beds smell,and we went to school smelling of a mixture or damp and mothballs.
 
Gran rented her house. I can see her sitting in bed with her coat on, NHS specs on the end of her nose reading big print cowboy books. Orange and green checked wooly headscarf, coat and full flowery apron over her nightie, stripy gloves with no fingers in, on the few fingers she had left from a machine accident when she was a girl in the bicycle factory, bed in the alcove next to the fireplace in her front room with an open fire. Built in wall cupboard painted dark brown like the doors and window frame, heavy cream not lace I think but tatted curtains, rusty patterned curtains with a pelmet, over the small sash window on the street, brown marble fireplace with trinkets we gave her on it, pitted oilcoth, no rug, small table with a big base, a lightish wood, whatever was before plastic patterned tablecloth tacked on top. rented TV on a high table blaring with football or racing showing. Sideboard with one photo frame. No pictures, a useless bevelled mirror like a porthole, Big wireless on a table. Ah!
 
Vivienne14 said:
Then there were the mice. I remember lying in bed hearing them scuttlng under the bed.Not nice.
Click to expand...
Julie remembers in her early days living in an old farmhouse, and there were often the sounds of mice or rats scuttling about in the loft space above her bed. At regular intervals, 3 farm cats were inserted through the hatch. A short burst of noise, 3 satisfied cats let out, and quiet nights for a while.
In our bungalow here, the roof space is ventilated. We have had a ‘fouine’, or beech marten living up there, bringing his catch back in the middle of the night to crunch. We have a few small birds overnighting, and also some small lizards, but they are quiet while we are sleeping.
Andrew.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Old 405 line TV, wooden polished case. Square from the front but with rounded corners. A long way from front to back to accommodate the tube, and a big clunk from the channel changing knob. Smell of ozone while it was switched on. How long did the little dot last before it faded from view when it was turned off ?
Three flying ducks or geese on the wall over the mantelpiece. Always flying left to right.
Wardrobe that you could climb into and come out in Narnia. All wood construction. Smell of mothballs.
Beds with springy metal mesh on the base, and solid wooden headboards. Mattresses full of shredded 'fluffy stuff' or sometimes with big springs that had to be avoided.
Dark brown wooden hat stand with the curly wooden arms to form the hooks.
Upright piano in the front room. Never tuned, never played.
Pretty decorated pitcher of water standing in a large bowl on the dressing table.
Gazunders.
Wireless with a big blue battery, and a glass jar accumulator for the valve heaters, that was taken to a local shop for charging.
Mains plugs with 3 round pins. Mains adaptors to plug the electric fire into the light bulb holder. Fabric covered twisted flex.
Rugs, not carpets, that were taken outside and beaten with a 3 looped thing on a stick.
'Tick Tock' from the wooden cased clock on the mantelpiece.
Linoleum not 'floor covering'.
Clothes that lasted a long time, and then a bit longer when made into something else.
Companion set for the open fireplace. Toast made using a toasting fork.
Only one tap over the sink, hot water came from the kettle.
In the garden: Hula hoop, pogo stick, JakoSkates. (spelling?).

More up to date.
Trimphone.
Ball shaped vacuum cleaner that floated on its own exhaust.
Variations on a wall clock with a starburst of metal rods round it for decoration. Metamec branded.
Burco boiler.
Hotpoint twin tub.

All from my distant memory, although not all in the same house and not all at the same time.

Andrew.
Click to expand...
Clothes lasting a long time is still going on. My son bought me a sweatshirt when he was at graduate school which was about 22 years ago. Somehow it got shuffled around and was never worn or washed until recently. Compared to the new shirts, same brand it is SO MUCH more substantial. It feels better, looks better and my wife said it washes so well!
 
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Clothes & shoes of yesteryear

F Farah trousers were all the rage when I was at senior school. Can still remember getting my first pair of named trainers, a pair of dark blue suede diadora from Harry Parkes. Early 80s, I must have been 11 or 12. Loved them. Farah trousers are back in fashion!!
birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
We had a few things hanging on our walls, mainly in the front room: a painting of a French street scene (very popular in the 1950s), a mirror in a wrought iron frame, like Nico a brass porthole mirror with a surreal reflection and a shelaghle (a black club-like instrument) which hung by the front door. The french street scene painting came from the hardware shop on Kingstanding Road. So it was no collectors piece! But the hardware shop sold just about everything for the home. I bought my mum a Pyrex casserole dish from there for her birthday. It was bluey white Pyrex with a brown leaf decoration. Mum also bought several glass ornaments from there - an enormous red brandy glass and one of those multi-coloured clowns. Amazing what that shop sold for the home, not just practical items. I loved the place.

She had a collection of brass ornaments which sat on the tall oak brown mantelpiece (before we had the low level fireplace installed with a gas fire). These included two small brass goblets, a brass bell and, like many other homes of the time, some horse brasses hanging on a black leather strap. To complete the ensemble we had a brass jug with a scene pressed out showing an old tavern interior and a hanging set of fire tongs, poker etc.

Mum loved her ornaments all her life. Even in old age she used to get my kids cleaning her ornaments for her. And they loved it! But her collection of ornaments would most certainly have come from having very little as a child. She certainly made up for it.

Viv
 
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Brummie a long time ago said:
Old 405 line TV, wooden polished case. Square from the front but with rounded corners. A long way from front to back to accommodate the tube, and a big clunk from the channel changing knob. Smell of ozone while it was switched on. How long did the little dot last before it faded from view when it was turned off ?
Three flying ducks or geese on the wall over the mantelpiece. Always flying left to right.
Wardrobe that you could climb into and come out in Narnia. All wood construction. Smell of mothballs.
Beds with springy metal mesh on the base, and solid wooden headboards. Mattresses full of shredded 'fluffy stuff' or sometimes with big springs that had to be avoided.
Dark brown wooden hat stand with the curly wooden arms to form the hooks.
Upright piano in the front room. Never tuned, never played.
Pretty decorated pitcher of water standing in a large bowl on the dressing table.
Gazunders.
Wireless with a big blue battery, and a glass jar accumulator for the valve heaters, that was taken to a local shop for charging.
Mains plugs with 3 round pins. Mains adaptors to plug the electric fire into the light bulb holder. Fabric covered twisted flex.
Rugs, not carpets, that were taken outside and beaten with a 3 looped thing on a stick.
'Tick Tock' from the wooden cased clock on the mantelpiece.
Linoleum not 'floor covering'.
Clothes that lasted a long time, and then a bit longer when made into something else.
Companion set for the open fireplace. Toast made using a toasting fork.
Only one tap over the sink, hot water came from the kettle.
In the garden: Hula hoop, pogo stick, JakoSkates. (spelling?).

More up to date.
Trimphone.
Ball shaped vacuum cleaner that floated on its own exhaust.
Variations on a wall clock with a starburst of metal rods round it for decoration. Metamec branded.
Burco boiler.
Hotpoint twin tub.

All from my distant memory, although not all in the same house and not all at the same time.

Andrew.
Click to expand...
Do you remember the stair rods that kept the stair carpet in place ?
The carpet did not cover the full width of the stair tread the 4 inches either side were painted normally white gloss
 
Covroad said:
Do you remember the stair rods that kept the stair carpet in place ?
The carpet did not cover the full width of the stair tread the 4 inches either side were painted normally white gloss
Click to expand...
We have a stair carpet & rods on oak treds in our house and it’s only 12 years old. At least in the US that is a growing trend. Since we have been married (53)we have owned 6 houses all with wooden treds. Our grandchildren asked why the carpet was there: so I could sneak up and check on them :cool: , they weren’t sure about that!
 
Covroad said:
Do you remember the stair rods that kept the stair carpet in place ?
The carpet did not cover the full width of the stair tread the 4 inches either side were painted normally white gloss
Click to expand...
In our last house in the Midlands, (bungalows since then), I was painting the upstairs landing window. Elbow into paint pot. Whoops. Bounce bounce bounce. Now the stair carpet is painted white gloss as well as the treads. Insurance covered that.

Our first house in Malvern had brass stair rods. The modern equivalent of full width carpet tucked into those wooden strips with teeth sticking out is sort of OK, but lacks class.

On the edge of the topic: A European friend tells me that where we say raining cats and dogs, his normal expression is raining stair rods.

Andrew.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
In our last house in the Midlands, (bungalows since then), I was painting the upstairs landing window. Elbow into paint pot. Whoops. Bounce bounce bounce. Now the stair carpet is painted white gloss as well as the treads. Insurance covered that.

Our first house in Malvern had brass stair rods. The modern equivalent of full width carpet tucked into those wooden strips with teeth sticking out is sort of OK, but lacks class.

On the edge of the topic: A European friend tells me that where we say raining cats and dogs, his normal expression is raining stair rods.

Andrew.
Click to expand...
I have heard the raining stair rods phrase several times , my dad always used the term it’s raining cat and dogs .
 
Vivienne14 said:
I remember mum decorated my bedroom with lilac striped wallpaper. Looked lovely for a short while until the damp in our 1930s house stained and moulded it. Even cello tape didn't adhere to the paper when fixing up favourite pop star posters. I put the allergies I have today down to sleeping in this damp and mouldy environment for all those years. It made everything smell of mould. And of course no central heating, just coal fires until we had gas fires installed. We never had any central heating installed in that house.

Then there were the mice. I remember lying in bed hearing them scuttlng under the bed.Not nice.

So not all 'modern' 1930s housing was all it was cracked up to be. I expect it was a big disappointment to my parents. I assune today the houses have been upgraded to deal with their early problems. I know some in other areas were demolished. These must have had really serious problems posing a threat to the health of the occupants.

Viv.
Click to expand...
Mum and Nan decorated MY bedroom with lilac and maroon striped wallpaper. I chose it, from Brightwalls in Hillfields, Coventry. When I came back from school. It had a three inch border around the top. Mum said Nan did the wrong measurements but not to say anything. Mum said it's a new fashion. It looked nice though, saved me doing it as dad didn't do DIY often. I wonder if it was the same paper Viv?
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Julie remembers in her early days living in an old farmhouse, and there were often the sounds of mice or rats scuttling about in the loft space above her bed. At regular intervals, 3 farm cats were inserted through the hatch. A short burst of noise, 3 satisfied cats let out, and quiet nights for a while.
In our bungalow here, the roof space is ventilated. We have had a ‘fouine’, or beech marten living up there, bringing his catch back in the middle of the night to crunch. We have a few small birds overnighting, and also some small lizards, but they are quiet while we are sleeping.
Andrew.
Click to expand...
I heard les fouines are making a big comeback. We think we saw one or it was a cat with very short legs. In the dark it shot in front of the car.
My partner remembers baby owls in the loft giving her the creeps. And the bats. I have been back to her aunt's place where she was brought up mostly, it gives me the creeps in the daytime, but only upstairs. Clearing her late mum's place, she kept 50 years of possessions so we could see the new fashions in furniture in levels , like gaudy curtains with heraldic knights on, tubular steel and plastic orange flowered coloured wardrobes, oven proof plates, a mini bar in bakelite , really smart black octagonal black plates she got free with her petrol , amber glasses etc etc
Vivienne14 said:
We had a few things hanging on our walls, mainly in the front room: a painting of a French street scene (very popular in the 1950s), a mirror in a wrought iron frame, like Nico a brass porthole mirror with a surreal reflection and a shelaghle (a black club-like instrument) which hung by the front door. The french street scene painting came from the hardware shop on Kingstanding Road. So it was no collectors piece! But the hardware shop sold just about everything for the home. I bought my mum a Pyrex casserole dish from there for her birthday. It was bluey white Pyrex with a brown leaf decoration. Mum also bought several glass ornaments from there - an enormous red brandy glass and one of those multi-coloured clowns. Amazing what that shop sold for the home, not just practical items. I loved the place.

She had a collection of brass ornaments which sat on the tall oak brown mantelpiece (before we had the low level fireplace installed with a gas fire). These included two small brass goblets, a brass bell and, like many other homes of the time, some horse brasses hanging on a black leather strap. To complete the ensemble we had a brass jug with a scene pressed out showing an old tavern interior and a hanging set of fire tongs, poker etc.

Mum loved her ornaments all her life. Even in old age she used to get my kids cleaning her ornaments for her. And they loved it! But her collection of ornaments would most certainly have come from having very little as a child. She certainly made up for it.

Viv
Click to expand...
I kept some of the brass. I am pressured to get rid of it but I won't. Remember those nodding ducks in glass they dipped their beaks say in to a glass, they were like weighted egg timers. And A crock rudmentery mother animal with three little babies attached to her by a chain, we had one, and a crock donkey pulling a big spirit barrell, ony painted with features on the one side, with 6 hooks to hold little china tots. I gave Dad a bakelite coffin cigarette box, because he smoked like a chimney, the cigarette popped out of the ghost's mouth at the end. He was not amused.I gave mum a plastic gondola. Some houses had plastic macaws hanging. Nan bought Daz and got a free plastic flower she had them in a gut glass vase.
 
Now this house (or showroom) doesn't look to me to be the average in the 1950s. But we did have a bedroom set like the one shown. It had a male and female wardrobe and a low level dressing table quite similar to the one shown but with two drawers each side and two small doors in the middle. The set was very chunky and solid. Today someone would make it a project and ”upcycle” or “flip” it. I remember helping myself to a packet of Ex-lax from the top left-hand drawer of the dressing table, ate a few of the little chunks and decided it wasn’t like ordinary chocolate, neither were the effects ! Mum had a set of cut glass vanity items on the dressing table, blue glass - two candlesticks, a tray and a lidded bowl.

Viv.

2B704833-D076-4408-BFED-BCE5343D65E6.jpeg26E42602-8B02-48DD-9638-5E919BB00787.jpeg
 
I remember that style of dressing table and wardrobe, we had similar back in the late 50’s / 60’s .
when you compare the build of that type of furniture to modern builds the clear comparison is the change of manufacturing and materials, I recall as a 10 year old try to move the old wardrobe Impossible.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Now this house (or showroom) doesn't look to me to be the average in the 1950s. But we did have a bedroom set like the one shown. It had a male and female wardrobe and a low level dressing table quite similar to the one shown but with two drawers each side and two small doors in the middle. The set was very chunky and solid. Today someone would make it a project and ”upcycle” or “flip” it. I remember helping myself to a packet of Ex-lax from the top left-hand drawer of the dressing table, ate a few of the little chunks and decided it wasn’t like ordinary chocolate, neither were the effects ! Mum had a set of cut glass vanity items on the dressing table, blue glass - two candlesticks, a tray and a lidded bowl.

Viv.

View attachment 173248View attachment 173249
Click to expand...
My mom and dad had almost that exact style of bedroom funtiure c1950
 
Vivienne14 said:
Now this house (or showroom) doesn't look to me to be the average in the 1950s. But we did have a bedroom set like the one shown. It had a male and female wardrobe and a low level dressing table quite similar to the one shown but with two drawers each side and two small doors in the middle. The set was very chunky and solid. Today someone would make it a project and ”upcycle” or “flip” it. I remember helping myself to a packet of Ex-lax from the top left-hand drawer of the dressing table, ate a few of the little chunks and decided it wasn’t like ordinary chocolate, neither were the effects ! Mum had a set of cut glass vanity items on the dressing table, blue glass - two candlesticks, a tray and a lidded bowl.

Viv.

View attachment 173248View attachment 173249
Click to expand...
I remember that stuff! It was what we knew.
 
our back 2 back was very small. in the living room there was a settee and if you pressed a lever on the side the arm dropped down, a old sideboard. drop leaf dinning table, tall standard lamp,and a cupboard built into the wall by the range.that was our heating.
kitchen had a gas boiler,gas cooker.dolly tub and a brown sink.
our bedroom was small just enough room for bunk beds and a single bed. mom and dad had a bed wardrobe and dressing table.1664180332979.png
 
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Vivienne14 said:
We had a few things hanging on our walls, mainly in the front room: a painting of a French street scene (very popular in the 1950s), a mirror in a wrought iron frame, like Nico a brass porthole mirror with a surreal reflection and a shelaghle (a black club-like instrument) which hung by the front door. The french street scene painting came from the hardware shop on Kingstanding Road. So it was no collectors piece! But the hardware shop sold just about everything for the home. I bought my mum a Pyrex casserole dish from there for her birthday. It was bluey white Pyrex with a brown leaf decoration. Mum also bought several glass ornaments from there - an enormous red brandy glass and one of those multi-coloured clowns. Amazing what that shop sold for the home, not just practical items. I loved the place.

She had a collection of brass ornaments which sat on the tall oak brown mantelpiece (before we had the low level fireplace installed with a gas fire). These included two small brass goblets, a brass bell and, like many other homes of the time, some horse brasses hanging on a black leather strap. To complete the ensemble we had a brass jug with a scene pressed out showing an old tavern interior and a hanging set of fire tongs, poker etc.

Mum loved her ornaments all her life. Even in old age she used to get my kids cleaning her ornaments for her. And they loved it! But her collection of ornaments would most certainly have come from having very little as a child. She certainly made up for it.

Viv
Click to expand...
It was similar in our house my mother had a fascination for brass, we had brass candlesticks, jugs, etc, I still have an old brass / copper kettle somewhere in the garage which must be at least 70 years old .
I remember the old newspapers being put on the table and the brasso and rag coming out for a mass polish of the brassware .
 
Did anyone else have a mother who decorated their homes herself in the 1950s and 60s at a time when it was regarded as a male task ? My mum did. In my mums words it was either “wait for donkeys years for my dad to do it and then put up with an unfinished job or do it yourself and get the job done” So she generally did it herself. And she was very good at it. Taught me all I needed to know about decorating my own homes.

Consequently we had quite (1960s) modern elements in the house - my mum loved modern, but dad didn’t. When mum tackled the bathroom she chose mustard yellow, black and white as the colour scheme. White paintwork, black and white Marley lino tiles on the floor and mustard Tumble Twist bathroom mats (a matching set of bath mat, toilet mat and toilet seat cover). She also bought a mustard Venetian blind to cover the bubble glass bathroom window. I think all the accessories were bought from Littlewoods catalogue. She would have bought them herself, from her own earnings on a credit agreement via the catalogue. Probably the only way she was able to afford them.

I think we still had old pipework at this time as I remember we had a pink mini oil lamp tucked in near the pipes under the bathroom sink to stop them from freezing in the winter. We didn’t have any heating upstairs, neither in the bathroom or bedrooms, no coal, electric or gas fires up there.

I remember when we had an emersion heater installed in the bathroom the fitter had a hell of a job with the pipes as my dad had fiddled with the piping to fit replacement copper piping. (At least I think it was the time the emersion was fitted as we also had a gas fire fitted around the same time because the coal fire and the back boiler for hot water was removed). I remember the smell of the fluid which dad used which I think went around the seal of the pipes, a sort of reddish liquid.

It was a nice bathroom for a while until of course the damp started to infiltrate again. A shame after all my mums hard work.

Viv.

I forgot to say, we used to use some floor cleaner on the Marley tiles which made it beautifully shiny, anyone remember that stuff ? It was a milky colour before you applied it. Over time it became quite sticky on the floor.
 
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Vivienne14 said:
Did anyone else have a mother who decorated their homes herself in the 1950s and 60s at a time when it was regarded as a male task ? My mum did. In my mums words it was either “wait for donkeys years for my dad to do it and then put up with an unfinished job or do it yourself and get the job done” So she generally did it herself. And she was very good at it. Taught me all I needed to know about decorating my own homes.

Consequently we had quite (1960s) modern elements in the house - my mum loved modern, but dad didn’t. When mum tackled the bathroom she chose mustard yellow, black and white as the colour scheme. White paintwork, black and white Marley lino tiles on the floor and mustard Tumble Twist bathroom mats (a matching set of bath mat, toilet mat and toilet seat cover). She also bought a mustard Venetian blind to cover the bubble glass bathroom window. I think all the accessories were bought from Littlewoods catalogue. She would have bought them herself, from her own earnings on a credit agreement via the catalogue. Probably the only way she was able to afford them.

I think we still had old pipework at this time as I remember we had a pink mini oil lamp tucked in near the pipes under the bathroom sink to stop them from freezing in the winter. We didn’t have any heating upstairs, neither in the bathroom or bedrooms, no coal, electric or gas fires up there.

I remember when we had an emersion heater installed in the bathroom the fitter had a hell of a job with the pipes as my dad had fiddled with the piping to fit replacement copper piping. (At least I think it was the time the emersion was fitted as we also had a gas fire fitted around the same time because the coal fire and the back boiler for hot water was removed). I remember the smell of the fluid which dad used which I think went around the seal of the pipes, a sort of reddish liquid.

It was a nice bathroom for a while until of course the damp started to infiltrate again. A shame after all my mums hard work.

Viv.

I forgot to say, we used to use some floor cleaner on the Marley tiles which made it beautifully shiny, anyone remember that stuff ? It was a milky colour before you applied it. Over time it became quite sticky on the floor.
Click to expand...
I remember the paraffin lamp to keep the pipe from freezing, that was one of my tasks in the house along with clearing the ashes out and building the coal fire , once the fire was going you pulled the damper plate out (which was up the chimney) to get the hot water ready.
 
Vivienne14 said:
When mum tackled the bathroom she chose mustard yellow
Click to expand...
Vivienne14 said:
matching mustard Tumble Twist bathroom mats (a matching set of bath mat, toilet mat and toilet seat cover).
Click to expand...
Been there when we moved to Somerset, except ours was a bit lighter in shade, can’t remember the name, but a bit like sand. I think there was a light green colour popular at the time as well. Ours was bought as a package, bath, toilet and washbasin. Interesting making the changeover, when the old stuff was ripped out and the new bits waiting to be put in. We did it ourselves, so working speed was a bit slow as we were both on a learning curve. Good bonding exercise though, especially getting Julie to hold the bath level while I stood back to make sure she had it right.
Vivienne14 said:
I remember the smell of the fluid which dad used which I think went around the seal of the pipes, a sort of reddish liquid
Click to expand...
If he was soldering the copper pipes, that would have been flux. Lovely smell when hot. I bought a tin just after we got married, in anticipation of jobs about the house. I still have it, about half full now, and I still use it for exactly the same job.
Andrew.
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Been there when we moved to Somerset, except ours was a bit lighter in shade, can’t remember the name, but a bit like sand. I think there was a light green colour popular at the time as well. Ours was bought as a package, bath, toilet and washbasin. Interesting making the changeover, when the old stuff was ripped out and the new bits waiting to be put in. We did it ourselves, so working speed was a bit slow as we were both on a learning curve. Good bonding exercise though, especially getting Julie to hold the bath level while I stood back to make sure she had it right.

If he was soldering the copper pipes, that would have been flux. Lovely smell when hot. I bought a tin just after we got married, in anticipation of jobs about the house. I still have it, about half full now, and I still use it for exactly the same job.
Andrew.
Click to expand...
The flux is actually an acid activated by the blow torch that cleans the pipes and allow the solder to flow and seal properly.
 
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