Things that used to be common place in people’s homes

[dgl]

Here we have,
A DVD player
VHS VCR
Record Player
Gramophone
Valve Set
Clock radio (DAB)
Hi-Fi
An electric carving knife
Wall mounted knife sharpener/bottle opener
Larder
Gas fire place (removed as it was supposedly "unsafe", after later dealings with said company I don't trust their opinion)
Peach bathroom suite
Mug tree
Desktop computer
Kitchen hatch to the dining room
Wired telephone in the hallway (albeit with cordless phones connected elsewhere as there is only a round pin socket in the hallway).
Slide projector
And probably more common things.

 

[py_megapixel]

Door knockers

Most houses in my street still have them. They're far superior to electronic bells which seem to be the preferred way of accomplishing the same thing - a few pieces of metal and a hinge doesn't run out of batteries, play an irritatingly beepy tune, or have the circuitry die...

 

[Clip]

Hi-Fi's

Why need them when you can just get Sonos and plug that into your phone or something

My hifi or separates has far better sound quality of a Sonos which is why I have one. That and I'm a record collector so need something to play them on.

We do have a Google nest max hub which is quite punchy but if you like to listen to music you really should invest in a good hifi.

Has anyone said rediffusion TV switches yet?

 

[xotGD]

Has anyone said rediffusion TV switches yet?

We had one of those on the wall. I remember being confused as to why the dial went up to 6 when there were only 3 TV channels.

The cable used to loop from house to house down the street.

 

[Spamcan81]

A radiogram
Fire irons
Electric blankets
Laundry boilers

 

[eMeS]

Cotton nappies, lots of them, all drying out... and keeping the fire's warming rays off me...

 

[CarltonA]

In the sixties we lived in a fairly new house. Built in about 1961 it was heated by a coal fire which consisted of an enameled metal box on the hearth which had two doors which could be shut when you went up for the night. This was necessary as it was the only way to heat up the water in the back boiler. We also had a telephone table/chair combination and a card index machine where you selected letters of the alphabet and pressed a button to bring up the page you want. We had a three digit telephone number for a while. Eventually the Corporation came round and installed an immersion heater. At last my bedroom, which contained the airing cupboard had some sort of heat in the winter. Of course there was no double glazing and ice would form on the inside of the window overnight. And I only got two and six a week pocket money. Blah...blah...blah. These youngsters have no idea.

 

[Hardcastle]

Bird cage in the corner of the room with a canary/budgie for company. Plus overhead clothes rack on a pulley above the fire which was handy.

 

[yorksrob]

A radiogram
Fire irons
Electric blankets
Laundry boilers

Ooh, my gran had a radiogram. Fascinated me as a nipper !

 

[Snow1964]

Gas lighting
coal scuttle
picture rails
stair runners because whole stairs weren’t carpeted
formica worktops
electric bar heaters in bathrooms with pull switch
milk and bread cupboard doors by front door
Ascot water heaters over kitchen sink
Light switches mounted on squares of hardwood
Serving hatches from galley kitchens
The only toilet being outside with hard toilet paper

 

[swt_passenger]

Made me laugh out loud

This thread is making me feel old though, possibly unnecessarily. We have:

Separate washer / dryer

I was referring earlier to a separate dedicated “spin dryer”, I wonder if you meant a separate tumble dryer. Not quite the same at all.

 

[dgl]

And a few other things here whilst I think about it,
older MK sockets and light switches
Fuse boxes with wire fuses
The belling bed warmers that were a metal "ufo" with a 60w bulb inside
Ceiling lamps with a built in heater
Carpet sweepers

 

[takno]

I was referring earlier to a separate dedicated “spin dryer”, I wonder if you meant a separate tumble dryer. Not quite the same at all.

Confused me for a minute. Not least because my family have always called the tumble drier the "spin dryer". I've only ever seen actual spin dryers as part of a twin tub

 

[swt_passenger]

Confused me for a minute. Not least because my family have always called the tumble drier the "spin dryer". I've only ever seen actual spin dryers as part of a twin tub

There were separate washing machines and spin dryers in similar form to those of a twin tub, which could be set up as a pair. Not sure if they were a step before the twin tub version became common. My parents had a single purpose washing machine, I think it had a hand wringer attachment.

This link should have a photo of the separate sort of machines:

Hoover laundry appliances

Hoover Model 1321A single tub washing machine and 3004A spin dryer – c.mid/late 1960s Hoover Steam or Dry iron Model 4554 – c.1962

electricutopia.com

 

[gg1]

There were separate washing machines and spin dryers in similar form to those of a twin tub, which could be set up as a pair. Not sure if they were a step before the twin tub version became common. My parents had a single purpose washing machine, I think it had a hand wringer attachment.

This link should have a photo of the separate sort of machines:

Hoover laundry appliances

Hoover Model 1321A single tub washing machine and 3004A spin dryer – c.mid/late 1960s Hoover Steam or Dry iron Model 4554 – c.1962

electricutopia.com

I think my parents may have had those exact same machines.

They bought their first automatic washing machine in the very early 80s and got rid of the old washing machine then but hung on to the dryer much longer, well into the 90s. The old stand alone dryer seemed to dry clothes much better than the spin cycle on the automatic washing machine.

 

[Gloster]

I was going to suggest those plate warmers that used small tea light candles, but it seems that you can still buy them. Lighting the candles was almost a ritual on Sundays.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think my parents may have had those exact same machines.

They bought their first automatic washing machine in the very early 80s and got rid of the old washing machine then but hung on to the dryer much longer, well into the 90s. The old stand alone dryer seemed to dry clothes much better than the spin cycle on the automatic washing machine.

Neat video on that site as well...

 

[Journeyman]

Black and White televisions.

I've got a very small one, that I use with my (miraculously still working) Sinclair ZX81. I love old computers, I have a little collection. The ZX81 produces a very dirty video signal that modern TVs can't lock onto.

 

[dgl]

And further to my last post here are a few old appliance here, a Morphy Richards iron and the mentioned ceiling light/heater combo.

 

[Skutter]

Ashtrays ?

And big, ornamental cigarette lighters.

"Sausage dog" draft excluders for internal doors.
Those plastic, circular ventilators in kitchen windows.
How many houses still have their built-in coal bunker? or pantry? (My house has had both knocked through to extend the kitchen, before I bought it)

 

[dgl]

And big, ornamental cigarette lighters.

"Sausage dog" draft excluders for internal doors.
Those plastic, circular ventilators in kitchen windows.
How many houses still have their built-in coal bunker? or pantry? (My house has had both knocked through to extend the kitchen, before I bought it)

Always used to amaze me when my auntie and uncle had what was called "the old rectory" in Crewkerne that despite the vastness of the property it only had a tiny kitchen with a relatively small pantry. You did have a separate laundry room, though, and you could always prepare meals in the morning room which was essentially a second dining room, and what the one that was used for anything but special occasions.

Oh and does anyone remember Sava Plugs for refrigeration devices?, don't see them around anymore and I wonder if they really did anything.
Plus loop aerials for TV's, only really seen on "portable" CRT TV's (~14") and were never fitted to LCD TV's as I am aware, would still work for Freeview if not very efficient.

 

[eMeS]

And big, ornamental cigarette lighters.

"Sausage dog" draft excluders for internal doors.
Those plastic, circular ventilators in kitchen windows.
How many houses still have their built-in coal bunker? or pantry? (My house has had both knocked through to extend the kitchen, before I bought it)

In my parent's house the coal bunker was turned into a cloakroom, and I used this as my first, very cramped, under-the-stairs photo darkroom.

 

[Journeyman]

Plus loop aerials for TV's, only really seen on "portable" CRT TV's (~14") and were never fitted to LCD TV's as I am aware, would still work for Freeview if not very efficient.

Freeview needs a pretty strong signal to work at all. While indoor aerials would generally give you an analogue picture, even if not very good, I've attempted a couple of times to get Freeview working with an indoor aerial, and it's refused to work at all, even with a signal booster.

 

[eoff]

(In living memory...)

Trimphone
Copper (outdoor container for washing clothes or at a push people at the end of wash day)
Dolly/Posser (implement for agitating washing)
round-pin sockets
Chain pull toilet cisterns
modems
single-shot loose tea dispenser
Paraffin heaters
Artex

 

[dgl]

Freeview needs a pretty strong signal to work at all. While indoor aerials would generally give you an analogue picture, even if not very good, I've attempted a couple of times to get Freeview working with an indoor aerial, and it's refused to work at all, even with a signal booster.

I had it working in crewkerne, admittedly high up, before switchover (10kW ERP) receiving Mendip ~26mi away, using the loop antenna built in to an old fidelity TV the decent but ancient loft aerials have always produced a perfect picture except on C5 analogue which was at a much lower ERP, even given the band changes they still work excellently despite being group C/D antenna. The cheapo indoor antenna on the summer house also produces an acceptable signal level.
Be aware that a signal booster can only boost what's coming in, if the signal quality is crap you just get amplified crap.

 

[DB]

Confused me for a minute. Not least because my family have always called the tumble drier the "spin dryer". I've only ever seen actual spin dryers as part of a twin tub

The last time I saw a twin-tub was in one of the houses I lived in as a student back in the early 2000s - the house had had little done to it for years, clearly! I did try to use it sometimes, but even on its own terms it was crap as the spin half had a slippy belt and would stop moving if it had more than a couple of socks and a t-shirt in it. Gave up eventually and lugged the washing down to the university laundry room.

In recent years, physical audio and video media of all types has been on the way out, along with the devices which play them,

 

[Cowley]

And big, ornamental cigarette lighters.

"Sausage dog" draft excluders for internal doors.
Those plastic, circular ventilators in kitchen windows.
How many houses still have their built-in coal bunker? or pantry? (My house has had both knocked through to extend the kitchen, before I bought it)

We have the original built in pantry, wood burners, a rocking horse (actually it’s a llama), an original cast iron bath, a well in the garden and a few of those sausage type draft excluders.
Basically we live in the 1960s...

 

[dgl]

(In living memory...)

round-pin sockets

Still got a round pin 5A socket here, was only installed last year!

 

[Journeyman]

I had it working in crewkerne, admittedly high up, before switchover (10kW ERP) receiving Mendip ~26mi away, using the loop antenna built in to an old fidelity TV the decent but ancient loft aerials have always produced a perfect picture except on C5 analogue which was at a much lower ERP, even given the band changes they still work excellently despite being group C/D antenna. The cheapo indoor antenna on the summer house also produces an acceptable signal level.
Be aware that a signal booster can only boost what's coming in, if the signal quality is crap you just get amplified crap.

I think my problem is that I live in a valley, near the bottom of it, so although I'm close to my local transmitter, the signal I get is lousy.

 

[blue87]

Them bar heaters with a pull cord switch on the wall near the ceiling in the bathroom.