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Old equipment your grandparents used

121 replies

letsgomaths · 26/01/2021 21:31

Inspired by the "silly things your mother did" thread, what gadgets or items do you remember your grandparents using, that would seem old-fashioned now?

Mine had a twin tub washing machine, and used it for thirty-five years: appliances were made to last in those days!

They never had a cassette player: all music was played on the Bush radiogram, which had auto-change.

My grandmother was a keen photographer, but never had photos printed: she always used slides, to be looked at with a projector and screen, or more informally, a tabletop slide viewer.

Black bakelite telephone with a dial, and cone round the mouthpiece, rented from BT.

OP posts:
FreezerBird · 27/01/2021 07:52

My gran:
Twin tub washing machine
She didn't have an iron, she had a sort of pressing machine where you laid the garment out flat and closed the lid. Slightly terrifying.
A teasmade, although they're definitely having a revival.
Also she had a horrific scar on the back of her hand where she'd put her hand through the mangle as a child.

My parents/ my childhood home:
Slides rather than photos
Toasting forks, and a kettle on the open fire
Mincer that clamped to the work top
Washboard

Tolee · 27/01/2021 07:59

My Nan had a cold slab in the larder instead of a fridge.

Pyewhacket · 27/01/2021 08:05

I grew-up on my grandparent's farm in Dorset: - Bakelite telephone, pre-war valve radio, Spong bean slicer, enameled metal tea pot, hallway coat and hat stand (with mirror), Westminster chime mantel clock, air raid shelter in the garden, a separate laundry with a mangle and a huge "Copper" to boil wash. My Gran made a small fortune making soap in this during the war. Mahogany gun cabinet, massive Welsh Dresser with fine Wedgwood bone china crockery, 1920's Imperial manual type writer and a heavy cut glass vases. They also had a Wartime Fordson Model N Tractor and a 1949 Landrover.

When they sadly passed my cousin took over the farm and made a big show of “modernizing” - a euphemism for chucking everything in a skip that he couldn’t flog to the local junk shop. He said I could have anything from the farm I wanted so I now own all the above, even the old Copper and the air raid shelter. Everything works perfectly and all the crockery and furniture are in amazing condition with fantastic patina from generations of use.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/01/2021 08:08

My grandma had a Eubank. I went to Mr Straws house with my dad. (70) it's a time capsule NT house. He and the other people on the door were going all sentimental over the Spong mincer in the kitchen.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/01/2021 08:10

My grandma also had a tea trolly. But it always stayed in one place.

FamilyOfAliens · 27/01/2021 08:17

It’s Ewbank! Eubank is the boxer Grin

kennelmaid · 27/01/2021 08:17

@AdaColeman what's a gas poker?

FamilyOfAliens · 27/01/2021 08:19

My mum had one of these in our kitchen. She would use the pull down flap to roll out her homemade puff pastry on.

Old equipment your grandparents used
barbrahunter · 27/01/2021 08:27

@FamilyOfAliens

My mum had one of these in our kitchen. She would use the pull down flap to roll out her homemade puff pastry on.
My mum had one of these too in red! And my Gran had one in blue. I remember climbing up onto the open flap of my mum's cupboard and the whole thing toppled over onto me but I wasn't hurt. My gran had a mangle too and no fridge but a cool shelf in the larder.
barbrahunter · 27/01/2021 08:28

I should add, I was little when I climbed up onto my mum's cupboard!

Velvian · 27/01/2021 08:34

My nanny had a mincer to make shepherd's pie (actually cottage pie) used to be my favourite meal. My granny had a tea trolley that me and my dsis used to fight over pushing into the front room. She also had a spin dryer thing, cylindrical and upright. She didn't have a washing mashing until the mid to late 90s.

My mum had a carpet sweeper, a green plastic one. I bought a Gtech a few years ago in an attempt to recreate it, but the bristles flattened so quickly.

ZenNudist · 27/01/2021 08:38

Hostess trolley. Brown, wood effect, kept food warm but not hot. Made all food have quality of a school dinner.

Otherwise nothing that old fashioned if you dont count a VHS etc.

Dm used to have special bowls for avocado and sperately, long bowls for banana split. A 70s wedding gift.

letsgomaths · 27/01/2021 08:40

Thanks all, keep them coming!

I've just had to look up "washing dolly", the ceiling-mounted rack with ropes and pulleys, I didn't know it was called that. My grandmother had one, which squeaked loudly when it was raised or lowered.

Also the "Salter" bread slicer, with handle to turn sharp blade.

Whistling stove-top kettle.

Extra sideboard which slid out of the kitchen unit - great for a small kitchen, I've never seen one anywhere else.

A single very old-fashioned gas hob, which could easily be disconnected from the gas outlet. The gas safety inspectors always condemned it every time, but she persisted in using it.

Electric servant bells in most rooms, complete with indicator in the "breakfast room" to show which one was rung. (No servants though - that was inherited with the house.)

Electric oven which could be timed to switch on automatically. They seem to be old-fashioned now - are they considered too dangerous, like leaving cooking unattended?

With the famous twin tub, it was not automatic, you had to do the cycles yourself: put water and powder in, switch heater on, "agitate" the clothes (propeller would spin round), drain water into the sink, pump in clean water, "agitate" again, pump water out. Spin drier was allegedly powerful enough to rip your arm off, if you opened the lid and put your arm in while it was still spinning.

A gadget for embossing a letter with the address, and phone number, which was of course alphanumeric, i.e. "Brixton 7215" or similar.

Vintage metal toys, very different from today's plastic stuff.

Here's a game to play while watching the film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: lots of the things mentioned on this thread can be seen in the background.

OP posts:
Seeline · 27/01/2021 08:41

This is make me feel old - my parents had a lot of these things, not my grandparents!
Yes to the twin tub and mincer
We had a Bissell floor sweeper which worked brilliantly.

We didn't have a phone, but yes to the TV on spindly legs.

My first car had a choke - had to use a clothes peg to stop it going in again too soon 😆

CMOTDibbler · 27/01/2021 08:41

These are all my parents rather than my grandparents! My mum used the twin tub every morning before she went to work and once she had an automatic complained that you couldn't get nearly as many clothes washed in the same amount of time.
Clamped on mincer to make rissoles/ shepherds pie/ mince and onions from the left over beef? Check.
Thing that converted unsalted butter to double cream (easier to store butter long term in the winter)
Giant jam pan
Ewbank
So many things that apparently now belong in a museum! Clearing their house it took every bit of me not to keep all these things that were so much part of them

DelphiniumBlue · 27/01/2021 08:52

@ghislaine

My granddad used to mow the lawn with one of those old rotary mowers with the long handle.
Good lord, I must be getting on- o used to mow the lawn with one of those when I was a child!
middleager · 27/01/2021 08:55

A carpet sweeper
She also used Camp coffee liquid.

eaglejulesk · 27/01/2021 09:01

My grandfather had one of the very old type of lawn mowers that had blades circling when you pushed it

I still use one of those, and you can still buy them! I also had a twin tub myself - I'm starting to feel very old Shock

inappropriateraspberry · 27/01/2021 09:13

My mum still uses the same ironing board and broom (same brush but handle has been replaced) that were wedding presents over 50 years ago!

Mamette · 27/01/2021 09:14

My grandparents had a pulley-maid over the aga in the kitchen.

The wall-mounted tin-opener. Tinned food was used a lot I think. Tinned fruit for pudding etc.

Not really “equipment”, but my GM used to have endless flower arrangements going on and the preparation of these involved hard green sponge called “oasis” that you used to stick the flowers into and then soak with water. I really loved sticking things into the oasis.

BikeRunSki · 27/01/2021 09:16

@sandgrown

My mum had a kitchen cabinet with a glass cupboard at the top and a sort of mini worktop. I saw one in the Castle Museum in York and realised how old I am! My son used to love to play with his nana’s Ewbank carpet cleaner. I think he liked the noise. We had a leatherette radio from Radio Rentals which had a huge battery which we took to the shop for a replacement when it ran out .
There’s so much of my childhood in the Castle Museum!!

As for nutmeg graters. I have one that I bought in Morrison’s last year.

daisypond · 27/01/2021 09:17

@eaglejulesk

My grandfather had one of the very old type of lawn mowers that had blades circling when you pushed it

I still use one of those, and you can still buy them! I also had a twin tub myself - I'm starting to feel very old Shock

I have one too. Perfect for a small garden. We chose it deliberately!
Perihelion · 27/01/2021 09:26

My great aunt, born in the 1890's, lived in a house her family had rented for over 80 years. She had the benefit of being covered by every rent control Act, so had cheap rent and a secure tenency. But no modernisation was ever carried out. In the 1980's she still had no electricity, used gas lighting and had a meat safe.

MistleTOEboughski · 27/01/2021 09:27

My Gran still has her 1950s sewing machine it's a manual one that works by turning a handle rather than a foot pedal but she says it was a great help over sewing by hand.
When she married she was still washing clothes by hand but had a little mangle you clamped onto the sink to help with the drying.

Seeline · 27/01/2021 09:32

Electric oven which could be timed to switch on automatically. They seem to be old-fashioned now - are they considered too dangerous, like leaving cooking unattended?

Both my old gas oven (20 years) and my new electric oven have programmable timers. It was one of my must have criteria. I can programme the oven to come on at a certain time, programme it to cook for a certain time and/or programme it to turn off at a certain time (even if already on). It is a life saver when transporting DCs to activities in the evenings. Means we can have an evening meal! Really don't see it as being dangerous.