Social History Is All Around UsI 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.
Abandoned And Rusty Cars
Cars are an enormous part of our lives. Most people work so hard to own their car, love it and polish it. It can become almost part of the family. I remember with such pleasure cars from my childhood. A Vauxhall Cresta and a Humber Sceptre. They are two I remember with such nostalgia. If I am at a show that has beautiful restored old cars and I am lucky enough to find one of these two I can't resist looking inside. Family holidays, days out at the seaside all come flooding back. My sister and I in the back with our little poodle. Happy days! If I found out one of our cars had been lovingly restored and was still driving around after all these years I would be so pleased. I was recently contacted by a man who was trying to locate a car he had owned in the late 1960s and found a photo of it on the site. He still hasn't found the car but between us we have managed to find out more of it's history. I photograph interesting cars all the time. Everyone of them has a past. This beautiful 1967 Volvo Amazon has been perfectly restored. How thrilled the original owner would be to know of its condition.
The Joy Of Ladybird BooksOne make of books that takes me back to childhood almost more than any other are Ladybird books. I still have so many, some from when I was a child, but many have been given to me over the years by friends whose children have grown up, for my children when they were younger. Even though the stories are rather dated now, my children loved them and I had such pleasure reading them again. One of my favourites was Mick The Disobedient Puppy who was a little poodle puppy always getting in to scrapes. However he managed to save his family from a fire and all was forgiven, he was the hero of the day. I loved this story as we had a little poodle too.
When I was at a jumble sale I discovered another Ladybird book from my childhood. It was in lovely condition and I couldn't resist buying it. It was called Tiptoes The Mischievous Kitten.
I entirely blame Mr Moffat for being so irresponsible to buy a kitten as a present for a baby! I'm sure everyone has a favourite Ladybird book and this is definitely mine! You can view all the Ladybird books in my collection Here
Fun At The Seaside Between The WarsDuring the Edwardian era the annual holiday was for the privelidged few but by the 20s and 30s for large numbers of people it was becoming a way of life. Lido's, cinemas, piers and hotels were appearing all along sea fronts and Billy Butlin opened his first holiday camp, in Skegness in 1936. In this photo taken in the 1920s at an unknown seaside resort, the band is playing on the promenade while paddle steamers chug along in the background. It looks like an idylic, restful day out. While older people enjoyed a restful break, for teenagers in the 1920s the war had changed life dramatically. Many young women found life was much less restrained. I love this next photo taken on Brighton beach in the late 1920s. The fun is so clear to see. All but one of the youngsters are identified on the back. Left to Right Bob Penning, Elsie Ash, Gladys Punter, Don Penning, Alice Piper, ?, Heathcote Penning. I'm sure they looked back on this day with such happiness.
Another traditional favourite at the seaside in the 1920s and 30s was Punch And Judy, incredibly dating back to the 1660s, by the late Victorian era the target audience had changed to children and the mobile seaside booth had become popular. This photo shows Uncle Lew's Punch And Judy at Great Yarmouth beach in the 1930s.
Finally of all the photos I have to choose from at the seaside in the 1930s I couldn't resist this showing this wonderful group of people dancing in the sea at Selsey Bill Sussex. I often look at my old photos and hope the people in them had a happy life. It is impossible to imagine that this group of people could not have done!
The Joy Of A RobinI thought about one of the old photos in my collection yesterday when I was looking after my granddaughter Scarlett. Not yet two years old she loves animals and wildlife. We have been teaching her the names of different birds and while out and about she was overjoyed to see a “Rodin” . We were so pleased that she had recognised one without prompting from us. That afternoon in the spring sunshine we were out in the garden. She was sitting on the bench with my youngest daughter watching me watering some new plants when another little robin starting running about in the flower bed. So tame and cheeky it was right next to us and Scarlett could not contain her joy at the moment. Later that evening after Scarlett had gone I was thinking how wonderful moments like this make memories but I doubt Scarlett will remember it . If only we had been ready and taken a photograph it may have become a memory in life. One to hold onto in adulthood as a precious childhood moment. It is a lesson learned. Forget selfies with your children and grandchildren but capture the moment around you. This is the lovely photo I thought of, look at the expressions on the women’s faces, it really is a tiny moment in time to bring joy forever. It certainly brings me joy when I look at it.
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