I have always been so intersted in social history. Before I even knew what it really was. I can pinpoint the moment in my childhood when I became interested in collecting other peoples once loved items. I was five years old at school and our teacher told us tomorrow there would be a Bring and Buy Sale that we could attend at the end of the day and we could look round before the parents came to pick us up. I had no idea what a Bring and Buy Sale was but it sounded exciting. The next day my Mum gave me a three penny bit to put in my little school purse and off I went. I can still remember how I felt as I looked around the tables of goods that day. I couldn't believe I could possibly afford any of these beautiful items with just threepence and was too scared to speak. One kindly Mum who was serving asked me if there was anything I liked and I chose a little bead purse. She asked me how much money I had and when I told her threepence she said that was just how much it was. I was overjoyed.
I can remember clearly skipping all the way home with my Mum regaling the wonders of Bring and Buy Sales to her. When I got home I ran upstairs to examine my wonderful purchase. Inside the purse there was a little zip pocket. I unzipped it and inside was a shiny sixpence. I couldn't believe it a beautiful purse and a profit as well. I thought and thought about the person who had owned the purse and where it had been. It seemed so special to me because it had a history. I was hooked and still am.
To me social history is in every item around us. Every little item from a train ticket to an old diary is a little moment in time to be preserved. I hope other people enjoy browsing the photos of the ordinary little items from the past on this site.
