Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Was it really better ?

We used to go to playgrounds where they had proper swings, with hard plastic seats so you could jump off them, not the rubber ones that are meant to keep you there and stop you from swinging it at your friends head.
We had the "witches hat", we saw it as a clunking spinning climbing frame, not dangerous and to be feared.
Our slides were little (for babies) and The BIG Slide, which was huge, and under it was grass, our biggest fear was someone peeing on it on the way down.
We had the spiders web, which you spun really fast to try and make the one on the outside sick, no one flew off it, because you held on.
The Monkey Bars, boring.
The roundabout, hanging out with your head thrown back.
Everything designed to make you dizzy or sick, only as an adult did you look at it as a way to injure.

It is great to read all these happy memories prior to elfin safety.I remember falling into what my sisters told me was a lime pit (where they were building the new(1950s) Leasowe estate)which would strip all my skin off me.All I was worried about was losing my new pumps in the dreaded pit. I survived as we all did.

Wasn't it fun throwing bricks into a lime pit! Made a lovely noise.

These are the swings (just before demolition)where we used to play (between Oliver Street and Grange road)
There were contests on who could swing the highest then let go and see who would jump the furthest, also cricket and football and the central point for start of "kick the can" and "alley alley O?" (I can't remember the difference between them) both variations of "hide and seek"

wearing 'hand me downs'
wearing your older siblings clothes until your 15 wasnt much fun in our house, I HAD 3 SISTERS

Amazing to think that beneath all that equipment was just concrete. Elf and safety would have a duck egg these days.

not wrong there mate, although there's nothing like a bloody big lump on your head from the concrete to teach you to be careful

Elizabeth has just made a post elsewhere on the forum about Timpson's shoe shop. This brought to mind the viewer that Clarks shoe shops had, back in the day. Do you remember, we put our feet in, and we could look down through the viewer at the top to see skeleton feet in a green light. That would show the shoe fitter if the shoes were too big or too small.
Unfortunately, it didn't tell anyone how in this day and age, we wouldn't be allowed quite so close.

Copied..

The nation's 10,000 shoe store fluoroscopes were notoriously poorly regulated during their heyday in the 40s and 50s. The U.S. Public Health Service said the average device emitted between 7 and 14 roentgens per dose, but one study found that some machines emitted as much as 116 roentgens. (For comparison, a person standing within 1500 meters of ground zero at Hiroshima got hit with more than 300 roentgens--admittedly throughout their entire bodies, not just their feet.) There is a predictable relationship between X ray exposure and excess cancer deaths. So we can safely say that some people died ahead of their time due to what was basically a sales gimmick.

Derek were these swings by Grange rd Birkenhead behind Woolworths and what year did they get removed,Thank you for all the information you supply to Wiki History

Terrific thread.

Thanks everyone for sharing.

There's an anti smoking day, how about an anti mobile phone day?

Maybe people will go out more for the day, you never know

Further down Grange Road. I'd say roughly between what used to be the Co-op and Allansons. If you know that area from 1950s/60s
it would have been behind the block of shops Woodsons was part of.
click

Are we better off than in the 'good old days'?
Had a few thoughts last night when thinking about 'dinners' and what is cheap now. Took me back to the good old days, when I was young. Mum would buy for a family of four, a piece of beef large enough to have Sunday roast, cold on Monday, minced on Tuesday, either mince pie or curried on Wednesday. I don't think that was too unusal for families then. Last piece of beef cost me £30 for rib!! It only lasted a day and a few sandwiches on the Monday.
Also, remembered before the council tax came in. In the eighties we had 'general rates' . Husband then on a salary of about £5000 , general rates(which included water rates) were £235 per year.!!!! Now, my pension is about as much as that and I'm paying £1,200 c.tax and about £300 water rates. I wish pensions had increased by the same percentage.
Although famlies didn't have much in the way of technology etc. in 60's we did at least, have proper nourishing dinners. Oh yes, and the dog was fed 'shin beef'. That's a delicacy for us now!
Anyone else got any comparisons?

Love this thread
Thanks for pointing it out to me granny

What the common response of 'Was it really better?' seems to be that it was better when we were young a carefree with not much of a care in the world
I think if you ask a youngster of today the same question when they are older the general response would be the same

I remember 'The Love Boat' on Sunday before bath time in the 70's
The immersion heater button was switched on before the program started which heated up the copper water tank in the bedroom cupboard. When the tank was too hot to touch it was ready to fill the bath (well, half fill it anyway )
Then it would be taken in turns to get bathed. Hated going last when the water would be brown and tepid

Hard times yes, but nostalgia will always make you remember times gone by with fondness
So I am saying yes it was better, I loved my childhood then we grew up

The Love boat, haha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmUlKPthrag

When you would walk the shops with a pram or pushchair taking the laundary to the luanderette. You would shop at a butchers a bakers a greengrocers a fishmongers a general store. Pubs had off sales.6 week holidays seemed an eternity of sunshine and happiness. Fireworks could be bought singularly.
What do we have today.....a 50% increase in young children attempting suicide. Something was obviously better.