Coming home from school in the 50s and 60s

[Bilboro-lad 294]

The nights closing in reminded me of a very happy time when I was about 12 - 13.

I would come home from school in late November/December (Glaisdale in Bilborough) and being as we came out at 4.15 we always walked home in the dark, often in rain or fog, sleet or snow.

Anyway when I arrived home my Mum would have a huge roaring fire going in the front room. I'd go upstairs and get changed and come back down and sit by the fire. My Mum would bring me my tea and I'd sit with it on my knee watching the TV. Oddly, I remember the TV being in colour.

So me and my younger brother would sit in the firelight watching The Littlest Hobo, Tom's Midnight Garden, Huckleberry Hound show, Tom and Jerry etc.

After the cold walk home it was very much appreciated. It was only later that I found out that my Mum was in the house all day with no heating whatsoever, her nose used to drip and her hands were like ice - but we NEVER came back to a cold house. Not even once. Times were tough in the mid 60s and coal was a luxury. It's at this time of year that I always remember those times.

Some days I'd catch the number 13 to my Dad's shop (if my Mum was there), that was really interesting too; especially in the winter of 62/63.

She died 6 months ago aged 93. She was a VERY good Mum.

What I'd be interested in hearing, is:

What was your experience of coming home from school in the dark in the 50s and 60s?

[tomlinson 879]

No television but 'Jennings', 'Toytown', 'William' and others on Children's Hour at 5 O'clock.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

We had a coal fire in the living room, with no luxury like central heating anywhere else. My mum used to work afternoons, so in winter before she went out to work she would build the fire up in the living room, and then leave it to gradually burn its way down - with nobody in the house! Thinking about it now, it was potentially a pretty dangerous thing to do, and I'm amazed we still had a house to come back to.

A couple of hours after she had gone out to work, I would come home from school to a fairly warm living room with the fire which had been burning since my mum left it, and it was my job to build it up again. Team work.

The other thing about coming home in those days was that children's TV was on when you got in. With only 3 channels, everything stopped for kids from about 4 till 6. I still find it strange these days to look at ITV in the late afternoon and find something like repeats of Inspector Morse. Back then there were never any grown-up programmes on at that time of day.

[katyjay 5,090]

We had a fire guard infront of our fire, good for drying wet clothes on or just airing them. Perhaps your mum put a guard up when she left the house, Cliff Ton?

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Coming home from Ellis, dark, pelting it down with rain, head down on new racing bike, bat out of hell along Radford Road from the boulevards.

The lorry I didn't see was parked just after Reigate Road, oval wheel, bent forks, sore head.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Talking of coal fires, did anyone else's dad use a sheet of newspaper held in front of the fire to 'draw it' up.

If the paper caught fire he just used to screw it up in his hands and throw it on the fire back.

[Rob.L 1,088]

#6

I had to learn how to do that at an early age as my dad was on permanent nights, so I had to get up early - more often than not with frost on the inside of the bedroom window, then go and empty the ash pan*, then it was a case of stacking the fire with paper and, if there were any, sticks of wood, and hoping that the coals would catch before they burned-out.

My mum and dad didn't bother with central heating until after I left home.

* if there was snow or ice, the ash went on the path. If not, it went in the dustbin.

[barclaycon 569]

Just as a matter of interest, does anyone remember when they didn't change the clocks one year for daylight saving?

I remember it very well.

Going to school in the dark. It was very strange and rather dangerous.

Nobody liked it and I wasn't suprised when they went back to the original system and haven't changed it since.

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

See the paragraph "Periods of deviation" for the dates when it didn't change http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Summer_Time

[plantfit 7,580]

Didn't matter what the weather was I was usually greeted with a clout in the earhole or a smack on the legs with a garden cane for something I had either done or something she thought I had done, glad when I left home although still suffered some psychological abuse, not a very good childhood

Rog

[DAVIDW 1,681]

Reading plantfits memories makes me realise how lucky I was to have a good environment to go home to .

We had a largish kitchen / dining room that also had a long cane couch in it .

The TV was in there so we would spend most evenings in that room . That cane couch was "mine" and I would sit or recline on that reading or watching TV after school . Though I don't remember my Mum sitting down much , she was always busy with some household chore .

There was also a coal burning stove that kept the room warm , can just be seen behind my left shoulder .

I've always hated this photo as I have such a smug look on my face , the sort when you know someone is taking a photo but it looks like an after school image . Mum as usual with a tea towel in her hand and check the old oven in the background .

[jackson 301]

Congratulations Bilboro-lad, on choosing a lovely topic for us to write upon; 'nights closing in' is a beautiful phrase to be reminded of.........

I love the twilight, when you witness the colours of the day turning into tones, then gradually into the shades of evening............

When I was a senior girl and well into studying for O'levels, I'd rush/ run home from school to catch children's television programmes; lying in front of the tiny screen, I'd watch:

Tuesday: 'Lassie' with Tommy Rettig.

Wednesday: 'Robin Hood', later replaced with 'Lennie the Lion'*.

Thursday: 'The Buccaneers'.

Friday: 'Crackerjack'* (with the Wonderful Leslie Crowther - a laugh a minute).

* 'Lennie the Lion' and 'Crackerjack', my absolute favourites.

PS: being as it's a bright and breezy day, must remember to take a walk in the twilight tonight..............

[jackson 301]

DAVIDW, so kind of you to post the above photograph of yourself, even though you describe yourself as: 'smug'.

'Tea Towels and Aprons' were a necessity for a woman back then; for her birthday, I'd often buy my mum an apron out of my earnt spending money.

[Limey 242]

I would ride my bike home, usually with my long-time friend and since my house was on the way to his, he would typically stop for a cup of tea. My mum typically got home just a few minutes before us and would have the kettle on. The three of us would sit in the kitchen and have tea and cake or biscuits - if either were available, and chat about the day. The topic would often drift off and finish up with my friend and me talking about electronics, cars or motorcycles (we were both what would now be called "geeks"). I loved those times and having mum chat with us. It wasn't until she died and I learned that she had talked to my niece about it that I realised how much she enjoyed those afternoons too! I still miss my mum!

[jackson 301]

Limey, thanks for reminding me: when my son was hard at work studying for A'Levels, after school he'd go with his friends for a trip into town and visit 'The Harvester' - chat over tea and cakes to relieve the stress. When he returned home, over dinner he'd tell me what he and his friends had nattered about; I loved this time I recall.........

[... 1,411]

That picture David reminds me of the phrase c heeky faced kids nice one DavidW .I remember the snowball fights and long paths of ice where the kids had slid for long distances i also remember not being able to find my way home because i literally could not see my hand in front of my face for really dense fog .

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Talking of coal fires, did anyone else's dad use a sheet of newspaper held in front of the fire to 'draw it' up.

If the paper caught fire he just used to screw it up in his hands and throw it on the fire back.

Yes - that was quite commonly needed to do, although I don't ever remember the paper catching fire.

What I do remember seeing is if the fire wasn't burning up very well, my father would get a can of what I thought at the time was petrol, but which I have since been told was more likely paraffin, and splash some of that onto it to create a blaze!

Also, when a fire needed to be got going quickly and there was a fire in another room I can remember a shovelful of some of the burning coals being carried through the house from one fire to the other.

Well, my parents never burned the house down doing either of these things, so I suppose it's all down to knowing what you're doing.

[AfferGorritt 868]

I quite agree Jackson, I love "nights closing in" and those first 3 lines of "Local Boy in the Photograph" ...

There's no mistake, I smell that smell
It's that time of year again
I can taste the air

I used to walk "home" to my grandma's in the cold and dark to a fire that had been banked up with "slack" (the little bits of coal and dust underneath all the lumps) which was just burning through, Used to sit with a few slices of bread, an old bent toasting fork and make toast smothered in butter, sitting in the dark, just watching the fire make "faces" in the coals.

Oh God! ... I'm drooling!

Having grown up from a melancholy little lad to a miserable old s*d, I find Autumn a very evocative season - my favourite!

[Bilbraborn 1,594]

My mum always had a fire going at this time of the year. I remember we all got sent home early from primary school on foggy days if it was as thick as a bag. When I was at secondary school, we used to do cross country training at least 3 nights a week after school and The Railway Society after school on Thursday evenings.

But I remember one incident on the way home from school which would surprise many youngsters of today. I used to cycle to school with my mate. I called for him one morning and his bike had a puncture. So we walked up the hill to school together, me pushing my bike. At dinnertime, he sat on the seat with his legs splayed while I stood on the pedals. We had just reached the bottom junction of Graylands road and Staverton Road and were travelling at a fair old speed when a big copper on a bike appeared. he was just like sergeant Flint in Dixon of Dock Green, and he put his hand up to stop us. We screeched to a stop and he tore us off a proper strip. I was shaking when I got home. I wouldn't have dared tell my mum. Can you imagine a copper even bothering today?

[MELTONSTILTON 452]

I used to walk home with my mates from Langar village school, and when I got home there would be a warm welcoming country kitchen waiting for me, with tea cooking on the Rayburn, mum would make me a mug of hot milk, and I would watch children's hour on the goggle box until Dad came home and then we would have our tea..

When at Bingham it was similar to when at Langar school, the only difference was I did not watch children's hour, because by then I had a newspaper round delivering the Evening Post, so it was on my bike out in the cold delivering the Evening Post, to distant farms and cottages.

[NewBasfordlad 3,599]

Re#19 I wouldn't have dared tell me mum. I don't think any of us would have.

That's one of the big differences from then to now. Then mum would have clipped you round the lughole. Now mum would be off down the cop shop raising merry hell and claiming compo for abusing her poor little didums.

[loppylugs 8,427]

My mam worked part time afternoon shift at Boots, so I went home to my grandma's. always a nice fire and piclets (spelling?) soaked in butter or beans on toast, never lost my love for 'em. Children's hour on the Telly. Billy Bunter, very un politically correct now but I liked it.

[katyjay 5,090]

Meltonstilton, what year did you have your paper round in Langar?

[jackson 301]

Hi AfferGorrit, thanks for reminding me: 'sitting in the dark, just watching the fire make faces in the coals' - 'cos I did the same.

PS: Love your avatar, is it Lord Snooty?

PPS: AfferGorrit, this wouldn't happen to be a fine example of Nottinghamese would it, meaning: 'Have you got it?'

[katyjay 5,090]

I thought it was I've forgot it.?