Obsolete things

Horizontal and vertical hold on the tv

twin tub washing machine

mangle

tin bath tub

cars without heaters

manuel indicators

God save the queen, when the tv ended at night. In fact God save the Queen now.

rattles at football matches
 
Vinyls! Digital audio obviously sounds far superior but there was nothing like selecting a record, removing it carefully from the sleeve, putting it on the turntable, lifting the arm over and managing to hit the right spot (especially if it was slightly warped!)

Kraft cheese slices that weren’t wrapped but you had to peel off the block.

Haliborange vitamins. The smell was lovely!

Nurses hats and capes.
 
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Lala said:
Back boilers, I dont know much about them but had one in my first house, they’re illegal now apparantly 😱
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They are not illegal to have one just to install. Not because they are unsafe it's to improve efficiency, back boilers were positioned behind fires.
 
Sledges, I grew up near chorley and every year in the 70s and 80s it would snow. Its a rare event these days.
 
Hair setters. I'm a bit sketchy on the detail but in the 70s I remember my mum had a big dome shaped device that used the set her hair. Was that a thing or a figment of my imagination.
 
Rubber adaptors that fitted on the bath taps to create a shower 🤣 they always came off and if it was the hot one that flew off you'd be drenched in freezing water if the cold one did it was 3rd degree burns.
The tall walnut ashtrays where the cig butt used to go into the top via a fancy handle, I recall the 70s with the living room smoke creating a fog
 
Newholland said:
CIBIE spot lamps....
As young testosterone fuelled young man you thought a set of these protruding out the front of the car...people will think you have an even bigger dick.....in reality they merely confirmed to most...you WERE an even bigger dick..😳😁
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Same thing with Hella, like Lala I had a MK2 Escort, I once put HUGE Hella lights on it to look all rally like, the only problem was I never hooked them up, then one of the brackets got damaged so the car looked like it had ptosis.

Bloody loved that car though, I would have it back tomorrow.
 
Shandypants said:
Rubber adaptors that fitted on the bath taps to create a shower 🤣 they always came off and if it was the hot one that flew off you'd be drenched in freezing water if the cold one did it was 3rd degree burns.
The tall walnut ashtrays where the cig butt used to go into the top via a fancy handle, I recall the 70s with the living room smoke creating a fog
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some friends of mine hes dutch and shes spanish, they did a tour of the UK last year. They couldnt stop talking about the separate taps for hot and cold, i was explaining the rubber things to them. its like i was explaining something from the 18th century
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
Same thing with Hella, like Lala I had a MK2 Escort, I once put HUGE Hella lights on it to look all rally like, the only problem was I never hooked them up, then one of the brackets got damaged so the car looked like it had ptosis.

Bloody loved that car though, I would have it back tomorrow.
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Have you seen the price of a decent mk 2 escort now. 😲
 
Cigarette vending machines in pubs

Season ticket book

The lad running between the pub and the bookies.
10 bob note and the old coins
C B radio in cars
Shiny toilet paper
 
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TotallyTangerine said:
I’m impressed! It was the ‘done’ thing to recite the number when you answered the phone, so I guess it stuck..
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In fact, we even had a little ‘telephone room’ off the hall with a telephone seat and a door so that you could make calls in private.. but I just knew my dad would be trying to listen in if he thought I was up to no good .
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
The choke was just a plate controlled by the wire that went to the dash, when pulled out it blocked off the barrel to the carb and restricted the air going in to so more petrol went in, the car would run rich with fuel which an engine needs to fire when colder, flooding it meant that you kept it open so too much petrol went in when the car was warm and wouldn't burn off. Simple design but it usually worked ok.

Completely redundant after electronic ignition took over from a carb, it does it all for you. Carbs were an almighty pain in the arse sometimes but you had much more control than with electronic ignition.
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There was a knack to starting some cars it those days some people had it & other’s struggled.
 
Butcher and corner shops the village I grew up had both and that's where you did the shopping. I remember the 1st supermarket (Asda) opening at Clayton Green I was probably 10 and the choice under one roof was unbelievable.
 
GTFsTwinBrother said:
That orange cordial drink they used to serve in the old ground that came in that ribbed plastic cup covered with a plastic seal. You had to pierce it with red straw that was as thin as a bloody needle!

Think it was called NCP orange?
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Yes - I remember them.

Also Kia-ora in cinemas. I think the cinema in Dorchester still sells them along with Westler's hot dogs, and butterkist (not obselete)
 
I remember meeting the two lads that founded WKD drinks at a corporate event in London.

They started off as having a ‘pop’ round in Leicester (I think without checking?) selling bottles of American cream soda and Corona pop.

I’m sure it was really a cover for drugs 😁
 
Lala said:
I know this won’t get a ton because it’s hard to remember the random things that you don’t miss.

But thinking back to the norms that now seem like a distant daft memory….

I’ll start with the ‘choke’ on a car. Like I had an escort mk2 in 1989, no-one ever explained the science of the choke to me, so I just pulled it out and hoped for the best. I’d heard rumours of flooding the engine but had no guidance on the right amount of pulling before ignition 🤣

And the immersion heater before you could have a bath ?
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An unexpected ton is within sight LaLa….go on you can do it 😂😂
 
1. Dial up Internet, with all the screeching and bloody whistling. Then once connected, waiting an age to open a Web page.

2. White dog poo.....!
 
Lala said:
At the top of my road in the 70’s we had cigarette and chocolate vending machines in the street !

The contents would last 2 minutes these days without getting wrenched open and stolen. Yet they didnt back then !

And some say society and it’s morals haven’t changed 🧐😱
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Priestners?
 
Costero Poderoso said:
some friends of mine hes dutch and shes spanish, they did a tour of the UK last year. They couldnt stop talking about the separate taps for hot and cold, i was explaining the rubber things to them. its like i was explaining something from the 18th century
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I hope their knowledge of the English language was good... explaining how to fit rubber things on the end...could of got a little awkward..😳
 
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