[Margaret Pilkington]

I was around in the 50's too.......and we didn't have a bathroom and our toilet was a 'lavvy'...a long drop one......the good news was it never froze up in the winter.
We didn't have piped hot water either....we had a range which had a section which heated the water.....but you had to remember to fill it up.
Friday night was bath night - and we all bathed in the same water which was heated in a 'Slaxone' gas heated copper......this was also used to boil the washing on a Monday.
Winters always seemed colder....our bedroom was like a fridge....in fact we made ice lollies on the inside of the window ledge......we went to bed with as many clothes on as we went to school in.
The only time a fire was lit in the bedroom was if someone was poorly...or when my mother was 'confined' (had a baby).

I didn't mind not having TV...we played out in all kinds of weather......and although we were poor, we ate relatively well, and all the food was home cooked. There wasn't much food wasted either......no sell by dates on anything.
If the cheese grew a green coat, it was cut off and we ate what wasn't green. Anything left from Sunday dinner was invariably used for Monday tea. We didn't eat fancy food.....sardines on toast or pilchards on toast...though I never ate such things....i would have a poached egg instead....and the eggs came fresh from a neighbour who had hens on an allotment...sometimes they were still warm when we collected them. We also had fresh veg, grown on the allotment

The co-op was where we went for the groceries. Tea came in blue sugar paper bags with the weight printed on it......butter came in barrels....bacon came in rolls and they cut the slices off to the thickness you wanted.
Stanton's pop man came round with stone bottles of dandelion and burdock and sarsaparilla....ice cream came on a horse drawn cart and you took a dish out for a good dollop...or you could of course have a cone or a 'sandwich'.
Milk also came on the horse and cart and you took out your jug to have it ladled into and then put your crocheted doily (with coloured beads as weights) over the top to stop the smuts from landing in the milk.

Ladies took pride in their front step and you would see them all out with a bucket and scrubbing brush to clean their steps and then apply donkey stone.

I can remember hearing my mother talking about a girl they worked in the mill with, having to get married because her fella had 'dropped one in the box'......I got a real telling off when I asked her what it meant......she just told me that 'little jugs have big ears'....and those ears were going to get boxed. After that I just listened and drew my own conclusions.

I enjoyed the 50's .....it was a good time to be a child....OK there may have been some downsides......but I can't say I was aware of them as I grew up.