When I went Around My Nan's House.

As a young lad in the 1960's decade, I always remember visiting my Nan's house in Poplar, East London. She used to live down Hobday Road but the house was destroyed in the Blitz. She moved a few streets away after that and stayed in her little-terraced house until around 1970 when she moved to another similar house in Canning Town's Star Lane.

I can remember a circular lid in front of the street door where coal men would tip coal. The entrance was a hallway with a front room to the side. A door would be here. The other wall would have a set of stairs. There would be a slight recess along the hallway by the stairs where another back room door would be. In most houses, these were referred to as the Front room (Lounge) and the back room (Dining Room)

Then beyond this was a further room that was often called the Scullery. It seemed like a miniature living room with a table by a side window. Beyond this was a tiny kitchen with a side door leading out to the backyard. Here was the outside toilet like in the side photo.

Outdoor toilets were very common all over London, but they disappeared very quickly between the 1960s and the 1970s. Many of the old terraced houses that had such toilets are still standing, but all lavatories have been put inside of the dwellings of today. I don't remember it happening. It just did.

It used to be blooming freezing in the winter. I remember some of the older men of the day taking their caps off the hook to wear. This was just to visit the lavatory. I used to find this rather amusing.

Three Wheeled Scammell - Mechanical Horse

The three wheeled Scammell Mechanical Horse

I've always wanted to do a little blog on the three wheeled Scammell Mechanical horse trucks because they are very much part of my little Retro Brit world of memories. When I was very small - going back to about 1964 or 1965; I lived very close to Mile End station, in the old Southern Grove buildings. I remember going down the shops with my mother right by Mile End tube station, and one of the vivid memories I have, is that of these yellow Scammell Mechanical horse trucks, coming along the main road. I can remember old black taxis and these peculiar little trucks. I can see one now, in my minds eye, coming under the railway bridge that goes across the main road before getting to Bow station.

These old Scammells were about in early sixties

I also had loads of toy cars in an old brown suit case and among them was a toy Scammell truck. In my little kid's world, I thought this toy three wheeled truck was marvelous. They are rather ugly looking things and I'm sure they are not as practical as some of the trucks we have today. They are all gone now, except for those owned by collectors.



Toy three wheeled Scammell

The video at the beggining of the blog is from YouTube and it is owned by an enthusiast who has kept it looking well. I think it is even older then some of the Scammells I remember seeing as a kid.

Giving You Charming Feel Good Movie - Loved it to Bits!

Of Recent years, I feel the British movie industry has devoted disproportionate time to making cheap gangster flicks. It has become tiresome when I believe our nation has so many other subjects it could find to exploit and present to varied audiences. I sometimes think that people abroad must regard Brits as being gangster obsessed if they see the amount of movies we seem to plug on the subject.

Then I was very pleasantly surprised by a DVD I purchased in the supermarket in March, Cambridgeshire, where I now live. The fictional story was called Made in Dagenham. It was among the cheap and cheerful sales section. At first I thought “Oh no, not more nastiness - from Dagenham this time.” Then I noticed a group of young ladies in retro sixties outfits and my interest was perked. I remember my Mother wearing such things when I was a kid and I, of course, have a nostalgic liking for retro British things of the 50s, 60s and 70s, especially the 60s. I felt myself compelled to give the DVD a little more scrutiny.

I saw the late Bob Hoskins alongside a group of ladies in bee hive hairdos and bubble type cuts. These ladies were working at the Dagenham Ford Motor Company – a place I remember well as a kid because I lived in Hornchurch and knew a number of people who worked there in the engine plant. “Wow! I think. Somewhere I lived as kid with all the retro memories.” I’m not too keen on girlie type films, but this did have a colourful fun aspect to the cover and I thought my wife would like it because she always complains that I buy SciFi and basically male orientated flicks. “OK,” I thought, “for £3 I’ll give it a go.” And with reserved aplomb, I put it next to the Monty Python DVD, I had already chosen.

The wife and I settled down to watch this flick the other night and I would have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The movie is a very charming ‘feel good about yourself’ story that is neatly crafted. Actress Sally Hawkinsplays a character called Rita O’Grady who works with a group of ladies in the Ford Motor Company, upholstery plant, where they specialise in making car seats – machine stitching them to required fittings. This is a specialised job that does not get the industrial recognition and respect it deserves because it is women doing the task. We go on a journey of industrial action from the ladies as they campaign for equal wages to the men. There are 55,000 men working at the plant and just 187 women in 1968.

The fictional story about the real 1968 Ford Motor Company strike. It is a wonderful ‘feel good’ presentation because it is done in such a wonderful light hearted way. Rita O’Grady lives in flats (apartments) close to the Ford Motor plant that I’m sure must be the Mardyke Estate in Rainham, just up the A13 less than a mile from Dagenham Motor plant. She is roped into a union meeting (more as a bystander or token rep alongside three other union officials.)

At the meeting, the head regional union rep is sweet talked over by the management committee, but our heroine (Rita O’Grady) gate crashes the talks and comes out with home truths concerning sexual discrimination and the wrongs being done to the ladies who earn less than 50% of what the men earn. From this point the movie kicks off with the girls walking out and the knock on effect they have in the British government and the U.S. Ford Motor Company. We get a panoramic and international view of the shockwaves while this small group of ladies live their humble lives with enough things at home to concern themselves with. It is as though they can’t see the more dynamic impact they have as they focus on their one righteous campaign. They come across as modest people just stating what is right.

The struggle is colourful with trials and tribulations mixed in with real and more kindly things. I don’t know how to explain the kindly things, except to say the film is not morose. It is uplifting in its womanly presentation of things – light hearted and endearing while managing to convey the seriousness of the exploitation that is going on. From Rita O’Grady and her work friends to British Employment MP Barbara Castle (Played by MirandaRichardson)  

It is a movie that manages to flick a switch and sit back modestly and say, “Well what do you think?”

ANSWER: I thought it was blooming lovely. 10 out of 10 and a big smile.

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The Wonderful time of the Supremes.

Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and the late Flo Ballard were the 'wonderful' singers of the Supremes. As a kid in the 60s, their songs were always on the radio. This clip; 'Where did our love go.' is one of their most popular. The sound brings back so many retro memories for me and I'm sure it does for many other people too.  Close your eyes and listen to, or watch the porthole of YouTube and go back to that wonderful retro 60s moment.

A Beatles Clip!

The Beatles were always great favorites of Retro Britain's 1960s decade. They were euphoric and every song they sung became classic. Good times from the Retro Brit past.

Fabulous Glory Days of The Who - I Can't Explain (1960s Britain)

I always love this band - they take me right back to the nostalgia of Britain in the 1960s where E-type Jags, Aston Martins and Mods with scooters lived. There were, of course, lots of other things too. Everything is so different now, but I can't remember it changing on a day to day basis. One day you just realise it happened - some time ago and you never even noticed.

I suppose I feel cocooned in the nostalgia of Britain during the 1960s decade. I was only a kid, but everything seemed so optimistic. One never sees the change from day to day and to be reasonable, the standard of living is better now. Even though we don’t like to admit it.

Sometimes I wished I had a time machine and could flit back for a while and walk about London during the 1960s as an adult. I’m sure one might be seduced for a while.

Why would I like to do this?

Well Who ever you are? I can't Explain. :D