50 Forgotten Things From 1950s Great Britain

Video Description

Journey back to 1950s Great Britain to rediscover everyday items, trends, and traditions that once shaped life and have since faded into memory. 00:00 Intro 00:42 Lyons Corner House cafes 01:12 Coal deliveries by horse and cart 01:34 National Service 02:07 Juke joints in seaside towns 02:35 The Festival of Britain souvenirs 03:07 Trolleybuses in London and other cities 03:35 Grocery ration books (still used until 1954) 04:04 Milk deliveries in glass bottles with foil tops 04:30 Bakelite telephones 04:57 Lino flooring patterns unique to the decade 05:25 Outside toilets in many working-class homes 05:49 Steam trains as the main mode of long-distance travel 06:17 ITV launch excitement (1955) 06:41 Price of a house 07:05 Doctor’s visits to your home for minor illnesses 07:31 Wringer washing machines 07:54 Woodbine cigarettes 08:16 Chimney sweeps doing regular house calls 08:45 Fish and chip shops wrapping food in actual newspaper 09:10 Sweet rationing ending (1953) celebrations 09:39 Woolworths pick’n’mix counters 10:04 Air raid shelters still standing in back gardens 10:30 Soot collectors from coal fireplaces 10:57 Ice deliveries for home iceboxes (pre-fridge era for some) 11:24 Wooden clothes pegs without springs 11:47 Wireless sets powered by huge dry-cell batteries 12:12 The Suez Crisis dominating newsreels 12:39 “Teddy Boy” gangs with drape jackets and crepe-soled shoes 13:06 Gas lamps in rural streets 13:24 Tin baths hung on the wall 13:42 Daily Herald newspapers 14:06 Cod liver oil spoonfuls at school 14:25 Price of a Car 14:46 Women wearing headscarves when out shopping 15:12 Meccano sets as the ultimate boys’ toy 15:36 Net curtains in every front room 15:57 Milk bars for teenagers 16:22 Football rattles at matches 16:46 Beano and Dandy comics sold for pennies 17:11 The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on tiny black-and-white TVs 17:39 The Empire Games (before becoming the Commonwealth Games) 18:03 Open-all-hours corner shops selling broken biscuits by weight 18:22 Handwritten shop receipts 18:34 Car starting handles 18:47 Men wearing flat caps almost everywhere 18:59 Ironing with heavy cast irons heated on the stove 19:15 Bus conductors with ticket machines 19:29 Daily Express and Daily Sketch dominating newspaper sales 19:43 Sunday roasts with vegetables boiled to oblivion 19:58 Saturday night dance halls with live big bands 20:12 Outro