Returning to some of those household visitors, there were the health vistors to mothers with pre-school children. Were they the source of the cod liver oil and orange concentrate that came in glass medicine bottles? GPs made house calls too, we had Doctor Donovan and later Barber. Once there were children at school the attendance board man might make a call if any had been off sick. The Betterware man was a favourite with his brushes and polishes, especially if we got to get a miniature tin, (sample?), to use with the dolls and teddy bears. Mum sometimes bought miniature 'Hovis' loaves, probably intended as individual rolls, that were ideal for doll tea parties. Our bread was delivered from a big wicker basket from Wilson's, just a loose wrap of tissue paper to protect it on the doorstep. The corners might get 'damaged' if we were locked out and hungry! Others had theirs from Hardings at The Swan. They still used little horse-drawn vans. Keen gardeners would quickly collect any deposits! Our milk came from Slater's, little orangy-red floats, smaller than those of the Co-op. Some years after Squeazy washing up liquid arrived in the shops we did for a while get deliveries of washing up liquid from a company based in Coleshill (maybe?). They would refill the empties.
The police seemed to be more visible, sometimes horse mounted. There were police houses too. I remember one, maybe two, at the junction of Melton Avenue and Lode Lane. We had a family friend who lived in one at Rednal.
Lots of things were made of wood, the clothes horse for drying clothes, clothes props to hold the washing line up and folding steps that were heavy and could nip your fingers when folded and that relied on a bit of rope to stop them spreading too far apart. Road work barriers were wood too, like giant saw horses, often with an oil lamp hung off them. Maintenance of tall street lights required a tower wagon, with a telescopic wooden structure at the back. I expect these were originally used for tram/trolley bus work. Window cleaners used wooden ladders, often a triangular affair. In the late sixties I saw a team of window cleaners working at Telephone House on Newhall Street. The opened the sash windows, climbed out onto the cill with a short ladder which was shoved tight against the frame. They then mounted the ladder while holding the window, the ladder leaning outwards. They must have been working at the equivalent of the third storey.
Webbing in the Fire Service was grey - more like boot polish.
