THE FLATLEY DRYER

[Stanley]

I probably remember the Walls men because I lived in Stockport and Walls had a factory at I think it was Godley near the town. This was probably after Unilever took over the margarine factory there and bought the Walls brand out. I think the tricycle vendors were the origin of 'stop me and buy one'.

[Stanley]

Mention of the tricycle van reminded me that they used to be quite common. Probably the most famous three-wheeled commercial vehicle was the Scammel Scarab Mechanical Horse so beloved by the railway companies for freight delivery.



John Ingoe with his ex-railway Scammel Scarab Mechanical Horse. It was an automatic hitch to the trailer, you simply backed into the coupling and drove away without getting out of the cab.

[Stanley]

I was surprised to see an advert for Carnation Corn Plasters on TV last night. I thought they were long gone or is that simply because I have never needed them?

[EileenDavid]

Good fitting comfortable shoes hence corn plasters not required. Eileen

[Stanley]

Quite Eileen. I think fashionable ladies shoes, especially high heels, are probably the worst thing for feet. Best footwear I ever wore was clogs, my feet are good but I never had any hard skin until I started wearing Doc Marten's in the engine house. Once it's started it never seems to go away.

[EileenDavid]

I only ever had sensible shoes when I was young mainly because only having small feet couldn't get fashion shoes to fit me in my teens. My friends had winkle pickers and stiletto's in their early teens but only took size 1 to their size 4/5 so couldn't get them to fit me. Eileen

[Stanley]

With hindsight that was very lucky Eileen. My mother was red hot on shoe sizes and always made sure we had plenty of room for our toes! To be fair, she did this so we'd wear them oput before we grew out of them and the downside was she had the same policy with clothes. I can still remember coming out of Lekerman's in Stockport in a blue Burberry mackintosh that reached below my knees and had sleeves so long they had to be turned up!

[EileenDavid]

Know the feeling Stanley my mother bought me a school skirt which was down to my calves said I would grow into it. Mini skirts were the norm so I rolled it up round the waist only my waist was 4 inches wider. When I got to my fourth year when instructed to get it cleaned ready for my fourth year I had 8" removed from the length and it was just over my knee. Eileen

[Stanley]

Lekerman's was a wonderful Jewish haberdashers shop in Underbank in Stockport. They had a system where money from the counters was fired on wires in brass canisters at a lady cashier sat in a glass fronted cabin high in the air. I loved watching the cans whizzing across the room. The forerunner of the pneumatic system they once had in major stores, can you remember them?

[Stanley]

Is anyone still using a Ewbank cleaner?

[EileenDavid]

Not seen one for years but the old ewbank were great for picking up a few crumbs. I want one of these new light weight cleaners without a cord. Eileen

[Stanley]

I was once told that Newfield Edge at the bottom of Moor Lane used to have a vacuum system ducted round the house powered by an external exhauster in the outbuildings. You just plugged the hose and cleaning haed into the wall in the rooms that were served by it.

[rossylass]

My ex next door neighbour, aged 98 and now living in sheletered accommodation, has just bought an electric ewewbank. It's great for him because it's so light.

[Stanley]

Amazing how some of the old ideas survive Rossy. I saw an advert for a small battery operated cleaner and reflected that it was an updated Ewbank. On a very similar subject, it struck me the other day that at one time you could get a specialised brush for almost any purpose, scrubbing, black-leading, boot-polishing, bottle cleaning, the list is endless. These days you hardly ever see a brush for sale. We even had special brushes in the army for polishing brasses and buttons, long and narrow and usually with white bristles.

[PanBiker]

We even had special brushes in the army for polishing brasses and buttons, long and narrow and usually with white bristles.

And a small slotted piece of metal to slide under the button so you don't get the polish on the uniform or tunic.

[Pluggy]

Maybe in this disposable world, nobody cleans stuff any more, they just chuck it out and replace it.

[Wendyf]

There was a wonderful brush shop in Victoria Street, Edinburgh when we lived up there. It looks as if it closed a while ago. Have a look at the pics in this LINK. They had brushes for everything you might need a brush for!

[Stanley]

The weaving sheds were big brush users. The standard brush for cleaning looms was the old fashioned bannister brush, made slim so it would go between the bannister posts.

[EileenDavid]

We had all sorts of brushes and cleaning implements bought at the door from the Betterware salesman, now they just put catalogues through the letter box. Eileen

[Stanley]

Ah, the Betterware man! Can you remember the gentlemen wearing turbans and carrying a large suitcase who knocked on the door?

[Stanley]

I'm checking Ernie Roberts' transcript at the moment and he has reminded me of the small double-ended tins that used to be taken to work. Tea in one end and sugar in the other and a small bottle of milk. Anyone remember them?
Another memory, Mothaks, the rings of camphor you hung on a coat hanger to keep moths off wool in a wardrobe.
Here's anothjer bit from Ernie, we were talking about smoking clay pipes. "R-Oh everybody [smoked ‘em]. I had an aunt once that smoked a clay pipe and she used to enjoy it. I used to go errands for her to the Co-op for this tobacco. I mean nearly everyone was a member of the Co-op in those days. She sent me for this twist and I noticed he never used to weigh it this fellow. He used to put it round my neck and cut it off but he also used to cut a little bit off and there were always a long piece and a little bit in this bag. So I thought one time, I’ll pinch that little bit, she’ll never miss it, and try it. Right, get a clay pipe. So I pinched this little bit and when I got up to see me aunt Annie with this twist she took it out of the bag and she says Where’s the jockey? I says What jockey? Oh I says, it’s here. She says You little bugger, tha were going to pinch it! And they called that bit ‘the jockey’ and everyone who bought twist in them days had to have a jockey besides."

[Stanley]

I know it is now pollution but does anyone remember the lovely smell of coal smoke you got as a steam locomotive passed on the railway?

[Stanley]

I was watching a car advertisement and reflected on how things had changed over the last sixty years. These modern vehicles are like jet fighters compared to the old stringbags. I remember driving an old Ford 8 van. Side valve engine, you could whip the lid off and decoke it in an hour easily, three forward speeds, starting handle because it was a 6 volt system and the battery was tiny. No universal joints in the prop shaft, just a ball joint at the back of the gearbox and a rigid shaft in a triangular frame direct to the diff in the back axle. 40mph on a good day with the wind behind you! I wonder what modern drivers would make of them. The wagons we drove were not much better, the O Type Bedford had a 28hp GM engine (same as the large Vauxhall saloon) and a 4 speed crash box. They were nominally a five tonner but we put 7tons on them and brakes and steering were moveable feasts. The only assistance we had was a Clayton Dewandre vacuum servo in the brake system which depended on the vacuum in the inlet manifold when you took your foot off the accelerator. You wouldn't believe how stiff the steering got if you didn't oil the king pins every two or three days and to do that you had to jack the front end up to take the weight off the bearings. If you didn't you couldn't get oil into the bearings.
Funny thing is that apart from minor matters I can't remember any accidents! I think I must be getting old..... (I can remember the first wagon I had with power steering, I thought I was in heaven!)

[David Whipp]

I suspect the death toll on the roads was horrific in the 'golden age' of motoring, if you work it out on total miles per year travelled. (Sorry, this is pure speculation - I haven't looked to see if there are any figures available.)

One benefit of the much simpler mechanisms of yesteryear is that a Haynes manual and a tool kit could keep most folk's motors going. I hate to think how I'd overcome a fault on an electronic handbrake.

(Last night, one of our cinema ladies arrived in a new car. She parked up and switched off, but decided to move forward a little further. The car was dead to her. Only after she'd got out, locked up and then got back in again, would the car come alive.)

[PanBiker]

(Last night, one of our cinema ladies arrived in a new car. She parked up and switched off, but decided to move forward a little further. The car was dead to her. Only after she'd got out, locked up and then got back in again, would the car come alive.)

Progress.