The Good Old Days

Before moving from Wood Green in London I remember the horse and cart milk deliveries, the same for knife sharpening, gold top milk (now only skimmed milk), the sickly smell from the Barratts sweet factory, walking into central London following the route of the Piccadilly Line tube. The entrance to Downing Street before the security gates. Later after moving to Buckinghamshire, developing and printing 127, 620 and 120 film, and how few cars were on the road, especially on Sunday's. Now the Sunday shoppers snarl up the roads at nearly every junction, and double yellow lines appear to be everywhere.
 
steveb said:
Before moving from Wood Green in London I remember the horse and cart milk deliveries, the same for knife sharpening, gold top milk (now only skimmed milk), the sickly smell from the Barratts sweet factory, walking into central London following the route of the Piccadilly Line tube.
Click to expand...
And French Onion Sellers on bikes.
steveb said:
The entrance to Downing Street before the security gates.
Click to expand...
Went on a school trip to London and visited Downing Street and met my Dad just outside.

steveb said:
and how few cars were on the road, especially on Sunday's. Now the Sunday shoppers snarl up the roads at nearly every junction, and double yellow lines appear to be everywhere.
Click to expand...
Well the population has increased by 16,768,173 since when I was born. Sundays where so nice before Sunday trading was allowed, but early closing was a bit of a pain.
 
The smell up Princesshay when Carwadine's were roasting their coffee.
 
Nod said:
The smell up Princesshay when Carwadine's were roasting their coffee.
Click to expand...
We have a coffee shop in town (not a café, but an old fashioned shop with rickety shelves) and when they're roasting the beans, you can smell it from the other end of the high street. It's my favourite smell and I'm like the Bisto kid.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nod
There's a coffee shop (dry!) in Chania and their grinder seems to run all day, grinding very fine Greek coffee. Not quite the same as roasting but almost as intoxicating!
 
Nod said:
There's a coffee shop (dry!) in Chania and their grinder seems to run all day, grinding very fine Greek coffee. Not quite the same as roasting but almost as intoxicating!
Click to expand...
I'd pitch a tent outside! :ROFLMAO:
 
I find excuses to pass it!
 
Dr Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket on the television ;)
 
We used to go to see my grandparents in London in a Victorian tower block, walking up each level I could smell everyone's roast dinner.
The smell of all the newspapers when I used to mark up the numbers for about 175 deliveries every day from age 11
 
I used to mark up in our local newsagents, including my round, then across the road to the post office cum newsagent to collect another round and do those on the way home. The last paper delivery was our neighbour.
On a Sunday the two rounds were so big I used to take my baby sisters pram, what with all the periodicals.
 
We had ‘Lucky’ bags, a few sweets and a little toy inside
 
gjhill said:
We had ‘Lucky’ bags, a few sweets and a little toy inside
Click to expand...
Asking for ‘a quarter’ of sweets and pointing to one of the great big jars on the shelves full of the ones you wanted.
The shopkeeper would lift the jar down and measure out 4 ounces of them into a small white paper bag on the scales.
 
My first car, a 1967 Hillman Imp, £125.00, £110.00 to insure it, I won £25.00 on the PB's so that taxed it.
 
Norkie said:
My first car, a 1967 Hillman Imp, £125.00, £110.00 to insure it, I won £25.00 on the PB's so that taxed it.
Click to expand...
My first car was a hillman imp van!!, reg no UAE 314G, strange I can remember that but struggle to remember my current cars number

as I recall it was £99 which I paid and my dad coughed up the insurance which was £101
 
I moved from one newsagents to the other in our village, when I found out I could earn an extra 35p a week for a round of the same size.

Doing the paper round at 7am and the place was deserted except for the milkman.
 
35P a week!
My first round was two Bob a week, 10P!
Half a crown for all day Saturday stacking shelves in Tesco Waltham Abbey.
Half a Crown is 12 1/2 pence now ;)
 
Last edited:
But back then, it would buy a 3 bed semi with a shed!
 
I recall my granddad telling me that he put down £12.00 deposit on his first house!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top