CHRISTMAS 2019 QUIZ
6.The song ‘Walking In The Air’ features in which classic Christmas film?
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A British 1950s home –
6.The song ‘Walking In The Air’ features in which classic Christmas film?
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A British 1950s home –
“we
never-never had it so good”
The appliances that
helped change Britain’s buying habits
In the first half of
the last century, credit was a few groceries ‘on tick’ before payday. Then came
the boom of the 1950s, fuelled by rising wages and the famous claim that we’d
‘never had it so good’.
Suddenly there were
appliances for every job and high tech home entertainment to fill all our
newfound spare time. But the latest must-haves were way beyond the means of
most families.
To get your hands on
one meant saving hard or buying on the never-never… because it felt like you
never paid it off and never actually owned it!
Here we look back at
some of the budget busting, built-to-last home comforts of that time. Are any
of yours still going strong after all these years?
A rented television set
Our love of television
really started with the Coronation in 1953. But it took a few more years for a
black and white set to arrive in most homes, and even then it was rented as
they were just too expensive to buy.
In 1960 the rent on a
TV was around £11-12-6. That’s almost £250 for just one year. You could buy a
48” LCD HD TV with that today!
The revolutionary radiogram
If a radiogram or
stereogram took pride of place in your sitting room, your family had arrived!
It was the latest audio technology and a piece of furniture all rolled into
one.
In 1955 a Murphy A242R
Radiogram cost an eye watering £113 0s. 0d, which was around 3 months wages for
the average earner at that time and almost £2800 in today’s money.
The must-have transistor radio
The world’s first
truly portable radio launched in 1954 and teenagers everywhere began saving
hard to own one. A Bush B.A.C 31 cost £17 10 shillings – the best part of £400
now. Today a teenager’s smartphone can cost more than this!
The Dansette was another portable dream
This portable record
player fast became another teenage favourite. The Dansette Junior and De Luxe
were big hits on HP if Mum and Dad could be persuaded to put the deposit down!
In 1962 a Dansette
Popular 4 speed record player cost 11 guineas – about £270 in today’s money,
which is what you could pay for a restored one now.
Mum said goodbye to the cold shelf in the larder…
A fridge meant the end
of mum having to shop every day but could cost the equivalent of over £1000 now
– so renting was the only option for most.
The rent man was such
a regular visitor he’d usually knock and walk straight in without waiting for
an answer. And everyone kept paying long after the fridge was paid for, just in
case it broke down (which of course it never did).
…and eventually hung up her mangle
The washing machine
was a lifesaver for housewives but not all husbands agreed. Apparently they
didn’t need one because they had a wife. Certain grounds for divorce today!
Luckily, the
Electromatic Twin Tub brought more business for the rent man. Priced at 39
guineas it was half the price of the flashy American style machines. That’s
still over £1000 now.
Introducing Ken Wood, king of the modern kitchen
Nothing impressed like
a Kenwood Chef (invented by none other than Ken Wood). Owning one meant
whipping up a cake or kneading a loaf without losing a bead of sweat.
Such high tech
gadgetry came at a price - £19 in 1950 is the best part of £500 in today’s
money. Mind you, some are still going strong and, if in top condition, can
fetch that much now on ebay!
And finally, Green Shield Stamps made the world your oyster
At the end of the
1950s, Green Shield Stamps put luxuries and appliances within reach of the
masses, or so it seemed.
In 1965 you only
needed to fill 33 ¼ books to get a Kenwood Chef. It felt so achievable. But
that actually meant spending £1064. That’s £1064 in 1965… you could have bought
a house and still had change!
Can you remember when
the telly or fridge arrived in your home or when mum finally got a vacuum
cleaner? Did you save up for ages or get your first gizmo on the never-never?
We’d love to hear your stories.
If you’ve enjoyed
being whisked back to the first golden age of home technology, you may also
enjoy these fabulous memories of a post war childhood and foods that take you back. Or for more old
money memories, take a look at what you paid for your first car and your first pay packet.
