Polishing the step


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I would lke to know what in hell was that all about

I remember ladies with turbans over the hair curlers usually withh a fag hanging out their mouths polishing the front step with some red stuff

Not just one a whole bunch of them could never fathom out why but never bothered to ask.

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It was always said, you could judge a woman by the door step she kept clean or dirty, was referring to her house cleanliness.

Amazing thinking back to the 50's how clean so many doorsteps were.

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My Mother and Grandmother used Red Cardinal polish on the steps and Zebo black lead on the fire grate

Rog

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used to help buff up with brush and dusters every saturday when mum black leaded the fire ranges in bothe the kitchen and living room in the 50s and brush the steps and wash them down with hot soappy water a couple of times a week never had the red ones just stone steps that dad or my elder brother used to sharpen the knives on.

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As well as keeping the front step clean, they were always washing the net curtains in the front parlour. No use having a clean step and mucky nets!

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My Mum always polished the step. We may have lived in a dump but it was a clean dump and, like katyjay stated, people had pride in their homes. People didn't have the money to do much to their homes but they could make them look a bit better by having a nice polished step to welcome them home.

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so much easier these day with nylon nets wash pop into tumble dryer till nearly dry give a good shake to get rid of creases hang back at the widows dry off properly in a few mins no need to iron . back in the windows in just over an hour

i have four big steps in front of my to my front door and because of the problems with the assian youth i get sitting on then and dropping rubbish i go out just before the usually get here and throw hot soapy water all over my steps then they dont sit on them. in fact i had to go out a few mins ago and get rid of them again reported to police somebody should come and see me eventually mates in car out there playing music that vibrated the house doors and windows

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Back in the days of front steps being scrubbed or polished,I never remember the front doors being used much,all the activity was at the back door.

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That's true, I can never remember going in my grandma's front door, nor sitting in her front parlour. It was for best! Don't know when 'best' occured, cos I never sat in it.

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Front parlour in terraced houses in those days was aspidistra in a pot on the windowledge...three flying ducks up the wall....toby jug on the fireplace...plaster alsatian or little girl holding the edge of her skirt....and every decade or so a relative laid out for the funeral... :unsure:

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The plaster Alsatian was a prize from a goose fair stall.

My experience of Asian families is that they still have the front room as a best room.

Usually with religious posters and images on the walls, always nicely wallpapered

and the three piece is usually covered by hand sewn materials.

I had a great friend in Lenton, Abdul Shakoor, I told his story here before.

I would always be shown to the best room, where I was given tea, and the

children would come and meet me, and always showed me great respect.

Abdul died some years ago. Google will tell you his story.

Shame English families are not the same any more.

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If you were really 'trendy' the front room had a painting of a 'painted lady' usually Eastern/Asian origin, I think there were about 5 in the series, all very beautiful................

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I also had a good pal who was Pakistani,Amjit Habib,his front room(parlor) was like a temple,beautiful pictures and wall hangings of a religious nature, the furniture was covered in hand embroidered finery.

Tea and rusks were served in the most traditional way,and the children and grandparents were brought in to meet with you.

Habib was a chef, and over the years taught me how to cook curry dishes.

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I made a real curry for some Californians over there.

They really enjoyed it but had not really experienced indian curries before.

The yanks do not seem to be curry eaters?

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I remember in the 50s' when i lived on Bailey St in Netherfield an Asian chap lugging a huge suitcase would call regularly doorstep selling all sorts of household cleaning products, dusters, polish, brushes etc, If Mum had the money she would always buy something, i never knew why, we ended up having more stock than him.

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  • 3 weeks later...

My gran's parlour was as described by Poohbear in post #12. It was used for religious meetings, weddings and funerals. the fire was kept laid but only used on those rare occasions when the room itself was used.

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i remember being able to go into my grandmothers parlor but of course it was you can look but dont touch she had a couple of class cabinetts with lots of small orniments on her mantle piece were stofordshire flat backs with a mirror above fire place the old black range type and a photo of her husband the aspidestra on a whatnot stand an old horsehair chase lounge and chair in brown leather and a couple of hand made rugs and a side board with staffordshire orniments on top as she came from stafordshire near stoke on trent i guess they could have been some of her wedding presents and of course handmade heave cotton lace curtains with brown velvet cutains at the windows and over the front door . sounds posh dont it but most of it was proberly from when she got married 50 years before i was about 6\7 at the time all my other grand parents haddied before or shortly after i was born so i never visited any of them

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  • 8 months later...

I always remember scrubbing the front step,infact we had two up to the front door,the first was was concrete and very well worn with a dip in the middle,we always kept the front of the house looking posh even if we were really skint,a bit of spit and polish cost nowt,except elbow grease

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