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

Anyone remember the Provident -I think you borrowed an amount and paid it back by 20 weekly instalments + 1 extra week as their profit
Just got a letter (not asked for) in the post offering cash loans from £50- £500
representative 272.2% APR (Disgusting won't write what I think of them)

We had the Alpine van round our way as well. Quite nice pop, but I always prefered Cresta from the shops
...'It's frothy man'

Funny looking back just how many traders actually used to call on households rather than you go to them. Apart from the likes of the milkman; postman; paperboy; and coal deliveries; there was the Alpine van delivering pop around Wallasey; the bleach guy selling his cleaning stuff; the guy from Vernons Pools; the Rent Collector; the Insurance Man; and the leccy man who used to come round counting out all those shillings from your meter.

Hmmm...come to think of it maybe things are better now, because at least we don't get so many soddin' interruptions when we're trying to watch the telly!

I think that there was a similar system at " Sturlas" near the Old Market, firm round the corner was a large tool shop, opposite the market steps, can't remember the name.

We never had a telly 'til I was about ten. I used to go to my nan's to watch Mr Turnip with Humphrey Lestock, Tinga and Tucker with Auntie Jean, Hank the cowboy and Muffin the bloody Mule levitating three inches above the piano.
God! we were easily pleased.

All those and more Geekus.
The gas man came to empty the meter. Monday was always a shilling in the meter day to do the washing. Ironing Tuesday. The butcher used to deliver as did the greengrocer and the baker ..in fact we didn't really need to wear our shoe leather out.
Although my father was raised in Wallasey he worked in Liverpool so I have come from the 'other side'...... as we grew up there until 35years ago, and I wouldn't go back. My gran used to have 'pop' delivered, the best in the world. It was in bottles with those metal tight seal things on and a rubber stopper. Little fingers quite often got nipped when trying to open and close in secret.
Didn't have plastic bags either. No packaging, everything you bought was either in tissue or paper bags. Vegetable waste was wrapped in the old newspaper and put in the bin, bottles were collected, scraps went to 'Rover' down the road..best fed dogs then, don't know what we did with tins, and then the rag and bone man took any odds and sods. Why is it all so difficult now? What's more even I can remember there was a service which never faultered. Not many had telephones so no one complained, didn't need to.

Back in the 60's and 70's, during the school summer holidays they always used to have an hour or so of kids programmes on telly in the mornings (usually from 10am 'til about 11am). It was great but they used to show repeats of the same old black and white series summer after summer. You always knew that after watching The Banana Splits you'd either get an episode of 'Casey Jones'; 'Champion The Wonder Horse'; or 'Robinson Crusoe' (which was very badly dubbed!).

Great theme music though!

Ahh yes, Tingha & Tucker! But you've left out Willy Wombat

Granny, you forgot that everything that could be was burnt on the fire. Old shoes, lino, bits of timber father found and even potato peelings was burnt.

Television:- Andy Pandy, Rag Tag and Bobtail, Woodentops, Bill and Ben and I think the other one was Picture book? Used to close down at tea time and open again about seven.

You were all so lucky, we weren't allowed a tele in our house until we(the children) had finished taking our o'levels. My sister was five years older so she had just about left home before we got one. By then I was out all the time playing tennis so missed out on all this kids stuff. What a shame, that made us feel underprivelaged at school and therefore we should have had psychological damage ..but we didn't!

You are so right Helles. Memory lapse ....whoooops!

Does anyone remeber those tiny tins of Nescafe? It must have been quite a luxury, they weren't any bigger than a small tin of tuna now.
Tea..proper tea leaves not the dust in bags. Always tea in a china cup never a mug or as we called it then 'a beaker'. Don't know where that came from. If you didn't use a tea stainer the teapot would poor out a load of tea leaves which settled at the ottom of the cup and you had to be smart not to get a mouthful in the last sup.
The aunts would come around for a cuppa and then decide to read the tea leaves.We would all gather around the table and in a childs eyes, this grey whispy veil would descend upon over us. Aunty Edie and Aunty Lilly were the best. "Oh I can see a boot" Edie would say and we'd all move two inches closer trying to peep. "It's a mans boot".... "Can you see that Lilly?" "Yes" she would say. Then as her voice highered an octave in excitement "I can see a hat, look Lilly a hat and it's got a feather in it". "Look, look, LOOK LILLY LOOK"! "Yes I can see a hat with a feather in it" said Lilly. My mother's name was Pam and this was her cup. "Oh", said
Edie, "Pam you have got a lucky cup". They never read my cup and as a child I was seen and not heard usually because I'd have one of those gobstoppers in my mouth. Remember? They used to change colour as you sucked.Keep taking it out to see what colour it was, then shove it back until your jaw ached. Then leave it in a saucer for later,wash the sticky fingers and be marched off to the front room for the dreaded piano practice!
The old ducks were great. They could tell a few good stories too.

Talking about Sturla's there was also Rostance's in Exmouth Street did a similar thing, sold all kinds of materials and clothing, the whole area from Conway Street up the Charing Cross used to be buzzing with shops on either side all the way up and like folks said, financed by cheques from the Provi or Sturlas, can't remember if Rostances did them too. I got my first bike, paid for by myself from my paper round, from a bike shop in Exmouth Street, would be about where Seamus's is now.
Does anyone remember the steam driven lorries queuing for the docks and the horses and carts with the "'osses" on the nose bag as they waited?

you lived well granny with the little tins of nescafe,we got camp,just adapted to the taste,big dripping butties with salt on,yummee.used to get lites and melts off the old market for the dog,butcher always gave me free slice of corned beef for my nan,great days the 50s,no matter what bert says,lol

Cue "The 4 Yorkshiremen!!" lol.

the 4 yorkshiremen,me no understandy !!!!!!!!!!!