More seriously, most games were just made up.
The landing half-way up the stairs was a stage coach. We loved that, but we had to be quiet, as we weren't really allowed to play on the stairs.
Our parents did an overnight make over on the wash house, and turned it into a farm. That was great, growing crops, and looking after pigs made out of catering containers.
Making dens. Either indoors if the weather was bad, under the stairs being a favourite place, or in the fields behind the house, which had dry stone walls, and thatched roofs.
Digging for treasure, on archaelogical expeditions.
Expeditions through 'jungles'. Which in reality were just over grown hedges, or waste land.
Building sky-scrapers, when the farmer had had the combine harvester out in the fields we backed onto, but hadn't yet collected the bales of hay.
Alway trying to make new means of communication. Walkie talkies fettled out of tins, invisible ink made from the juice of onions.
Other favourite games, which we'd play for hours, was 'Whirlpool' in which you'd spend ages running/swimming one way round the swimming pool, until you'd got a strong current going, and then you'd let yourself get swept round when someone shouted 'Whirlpool!' Better if you had extra friends with you. 'Tidal Wave' was the same, but you got the current going length wise, as opposed to round.
Board games, were the usual selection, ludo, snakes and ladders etc, though I did like Haunted House, where a ball was dropped down the chimney, and had the option of setting off various things, including traps.
Everything else was arty, and involved making things.
First toy I remember, which I loved was a model of Camberwick Green, with all the figures, which I got for my second birthday.
Occasionally, after tea on Sunday, the best game ever, 'Bish Bash'.
A rare treat we looked forward to. Which was us two, and Dad, locked in no-holds barred 'play fighting'. With Mum as referee, deciding when the contest had ended. Which was usually when tempers got frayed, and accusations of another participant not 'playing fair'.
Happy days.
