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House interiors

In our third house, (a bungalow this time) about 30 years ago. There was a little cast iron pot boiler in an alcove in the kitchen. It had a back boiler that serviced the hot water tank, and an uncontrolled radiator in the bathroom as a heat sink. A few bags of smokeless nuggets lugged indoors, together with the cleaning out and re lighting ritual and its days were numbered. We had a Calor tank put in the garden, then I replaced the contraption with a condensing gas boiler, and put radiators in every room, with thermostats.
As a side story. We had a good crawling space under the floors, so I was able to run the pipework below the floor, coming up to the radiators as required. We had a puppy then, and Julie was in stitches watching him run about trying to track me tapping and scraping underneath. He wouldn't come down the access hole with me though. (To be fair, neither would Julie).
We also had old wooden single glazed windows, where the wood alternates with sponge, and the putty looks like crazy paving. Go for broke, called in the double glazing firm with the same name as a famous mountain. All went without a hitch until the lounge. The apprentice left the lounge door open, (opened into the lounge). As the old window came out, a gust of wind caused an unscheduled high speed door closing event. The door had 4 panes of reeded glass in it which were unprepared for this, and promptly departed the door in small pieces over the lounge carpet. To their credit, it was cleaned up and reglazed within the day.
Older houses can be fun!
Andrew.
 
Have you noticed the trend for 60's and 70's style furniture and household items? Except in the 60's and 70's they were cheap. Now they are expensive but, look cheap. i.e. table wear that we used to put the dog cat and rabbits' food in, in funny colours. They look like utility crockery to me. Ugly wallpaper and furniture prints are back. I had to fight to get rid of the pampas wallpaper and the patterned kitchen carpet. There are still things which remain which have come back in.
 
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.D6F19DFA-2AC2-4214-B93E-6EDE265D0553.jpeg6D4B08DD-C17D-4D8F-B3F5-E5E518A967B2.jpegSource: British Newspaper Archive
 
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
What a nostalgic cutting. It takes me back. I can see it in colour. Ugly green chairs, they are back now. Red and black curtains (our stripes went the other way.) Our yellowish wood bookcase had no books in it! Dad's books were too big. Sad brown tiled fireplace, can't see them here. This rebel shade of a lampshade which won't match anything. Which I like really. They must be well off to have three pictures we had one in the whole house. Windows look metal framed like where Hercule Poirot lives. I think Harris brushworks had/has them, I am rambling again. Small vases for short stemmed flowers then. We had a second hand tea trolley with the obligatory squeaky wheels. So if I touched it, everyone knew.We had spirits in bottles years out of date on the base of the old TV table which was tall before the trolley came. We had a fruit bowl on top which got buried under magazines and everything else Only the gentry in films had big flowers. How dapper the gentlemen were then. Wonderful.
 
What a nostalgic cutting. It takes me back. I can see it in colour. Ugly green chairs, they are back now. Red and black curtains (our stripes went the other way.) Our yellowish wood bookcase had no books in it! Dad's books were too big. Sad brown tiled fireplace, can't see them here. This rebel shade of a lampshade which won't match anything. Which I like really. They must be well off to have three pictures we had one in the whole house. Windows look metal framed like where Hercule Poirot lives. I think Harris brushworks had/has them, I am rambling again. Small vases for short stemmed flowers then. We had a second hand tea trolley with the obligatory squeaky wheels. So if I touched it, everyone knew.We had spirits in bottles years out of date on the base of the old TV table which was tall before the trolley came. We had a fruit bowl on top which got buried under magazines and everything else Only the gentry in films had big flowers. How dapper the gentlemen were then. Wonderful.
Sounds like a copy of our house!
 
Sounds like a copy of our house!
Ours too but the chairs were red and cream studded leatherette. Sturdy cushions great for jumping on, without shoes of course. It's very like my old piano teachers house it but without the pictures. It was like a funeral parlour but less cheerful. Nondescript colours everywhere. 50 shades of beige. And it was freezing. Not good for cold little hands.
 
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
I still have a tea trolley that I bought from a junk shop on the late 80’s. It has a gold finish with formica wood effect trays. I would think it is actually a product of the 1960’s. It is incredibly useful as a workspace, bookshelf, space for bits and bobs of daily life, dining table etc. perfect for drinks or coffee and cake when friends come to call and easy to hide away in a corner when a quick tidy up is needed for unexpected visitors.
 
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
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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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
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!
 
Then there were the mice. I remember lying in bed hearing them scuttlng under the bed.Not nice.
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.
 
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.
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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