Lentune Probus Ladies Club met on Wednesday 5 June and enjoyed a really fascinating talk that left us all exchanging nostalgic memories of childhood and more recent times. 

The speaker was the Assistant Museum Curator at Milestones, in Basingstoke, and is now the Keeper of Domestic Technology. The title of the talk comes from the reaction of his visitors…..we had one of those, leads onto we still have one of those and finally we still use one of those! 

Stephen showed us a poster that started with “Don’t kill your wife with housework – let electricity do it”. He assured us it was a true poster and not a joke. We then were taken through the Kenwood Chef, and refrigeration came next. 

Carpets used to be beaten in the garden, then in the 1880s H Cecil Booth invented a vacuum system brought to houses on a horse drawn carriage. Following this the machines got smaller, and were hand-pumped or had electric motors, and then Hoover came along.  

Kettles started out as potentially very dangerous, the electric kettle eventually had an automatic cut off, safer than the previous method of the plug being pushed out of the kettle once it had boiled. 

Roasting meat was done over the fire. The Carlton New World gas cooker survives so well that the Museum is offered one almost every month. We then arrived at hairdryers. Finding that vacuuming water from the hair didn’t work, hairdryers changed from blowing air, to hoses leading to a plastic hood which many of us recalled, and permanent waves and curling tongs heated on the stove. Razors were plugged into the light fittings as were irons.

Washing machines started as tubs with wooden paddles, then twin tubs and automatic front loading machines. The Hoover Key Matic actually had a plastic key to change the programme. 

Bakelite was a type of plastic that was used for wireless and TV cases and Bayko building blocks, another nostalgic memory for several of the audience. Sales of televisions advanced quickly as people bought them to watch the Coronation in 1953 when an average of 17 people watched it on each set. 

Lunch was much enjoyed after this talk and people chatted about what they remembered of all these appliances as well as catching up with friends. 

Members can read a fuller account of this talk on the members only page!

Lentune Ladies Probus Club invites membership applications from ladies who would like to share our lively, fun, interesting meetings and social events. Contact Pauline Lightbody, Club Secretary on 01590 673277 for details.