Things Now Gone

[hilldweller]

Now when were the last time you used one of these?

Kids today don't believe you when you tell them what they were for, they think they are plant pot holders.

They are even more shocked when you tell them that they were kept under the bed, hence guzunda

If the kids of today had to walk down two flights of stairs, unlock the back door and walk about 20 yards to an pitch black outside toilet, often in freezing cold wet weather, then they might think a "guzunda" a great idea.

Times change, (and sometimes for the better).

HD

[DaveH]

If the kids of today had to walk down two flights of stairs, unlock the back door and walk about 20 yards to an pitch black outside toilet, often in freezing cold wet weather, then they might think a "guzunda" a great idea.

Times change, (and sometimes for the better).

HD

That's where the candle in a jam jar comes in handy, or if you were better off, a paraffin hurricane lamp.

[ukelele lady]

If the kids of today had to walk down two flights of stairs, unlock the back door and walk about 20 yards to an pitch black outside toilet, often in freezing cold wet weather, then they might think a "guzunda" a great idea.

Times change, (and sometimes for the better).

HD

My hubbys grandma had to walk down the garden path through the garden gate and down

a country lane to the middins in Bradfield. I bet she had a few guzundas. he he

[RichardB]

I can't vouch for the Ladies but which Gents facilities was most distant from the local boozer ?

This is from memory, I may be wrong - it's just my memory of "the longest walk" - perfectly happy to have someone come out with a longer cross-legged-walk.

[hilldweller]

I can't vouch for the Ladies but which Gents facilities was most distant from the local boozer ?

This is from memory, I may be wrong - it's just my memory of "the longest walk" - perfectly happy to have someone come out with a longer cross-legged-walk.

One that springs to mind was the Cross at Low Bradfield. The gents urinal was a tin & wood lean-to about the size of a telephone box, and crammed into a tiny space between the corner of the front of the pub and the road.

As it was a one man operation at best and the queue often stretched to the pub front door other measures were called for.

This usually involved walking down Woodfall Lane to the corner, turning right towards The Sands and walking about 100 yards to the public conveniences up the steps on the bank.

These lavatories used to fascinate us as kids, as they had their own mini sewage works. This comprised a covered septic tank and an open circular filter bed.

We used to send one of the gang in to "pull the chain" and then wait to watch the spreader arm slowly rotate.

The Cross was turned into a private house in the seventies I think, the reason given being the lack of adequate toilet facilities. However it was generally thought that the brewery had one too many Tennants houses in the area, what with the Cross, Plough and the Haychatters just up the road.

Pity, because it was a nice pub with the then Bradfield bus stop just outside.

HD

[Bayleaf]

One that springs to mind was the Cross at Low Bradfield. The gents urinal was a tin & wood lean-to about the size of a telephone box, and crammed into a tiny space between the corner of the front of the pub and the road.

As it was a one man operation at best and the queue often stretched to the pub front door other measures were called for.

This usually involved walking down Woodfall Lane to the corner, turning right towards The Sands and walking about 100 yards to the public conveniences up the steps on the bank.

These lavatories used to fascinate us as kids, as they had their own mini sewage works. This comprised a covered septic tank and an open circular filter bed.

We used to send one of the gang in to "pull the chain" and then wait to watch the spreader arm slowly rotate.

The Cross was turned into a private house in the seventies I think, the reason given being the lack of adequate toilet facilities. However it was generally thought that the brewery had one too many Tennants houses in the area, what with the Cross, Plough and the Haychatters just up the road.

Pity, because it was a nice pub with the then Bradfield bus stop just outside.

HD

And now I understand the Haychatters has gone the same way, now a 'des-res'.

[hilldweller]

And now I understand the Haychatters has gone the same way, now a 'des-res'.

The Haychatter's has been closed as a pub for some years now but the last I heard it was still in the hands of the same family.

It featured in an episode of Last Of The Summer Wine, the one called "According to the Prophet Bickerdyke" where the guy thought the Earth was going to catch fire. Mrs. Siddall the landlady had a short cameo appearence.

I spent what seemed like half my childhood sat outside the Haychatter's (originally called the Reservoir Inn when I was a kid), with endless bottles of Vimto and packets of crisps, while my dad and his cronies attempted to drink the place dry.

Happy Days !

HD

[Unitedite Returns]

Can any one remember the roll of caps that you used to put into toy guns?

They wouldn't be allowed now, far far too dangerous.

For those who didn't have a toy gun as I didn't, we used to scrape them on the pavement

to make them bang. great fun, I used to be a proper tom boy.

In the 1960's you could also get little plastic sky rockets - missiles about 3" long. You used to put to caps on a little pad near to the pointy end and then you threw them. A little metal plunger in the nose used to depress against the caps when the missile landed and it set them off. Brilliant Stuff!!!

Edit - just noticed that these are described above, complete with pictures. Really used to enjoy playing with these, though you could never get as many caps under the plunger as you wanted.

[hilldweller]

In the 1960's you could also get little plastic sky rockets - missiles about 3" long. You used to put to caps on a little pad near to the pointy end and then you threw them. A little metal plunger in the nose used to depress against the caps when the missile landed and it set them off. Brilliant Stuff!!!

Edit - just noticed that these are described above, complete with pictures. Really used to enjoy playing with these, though you could never get as many caps under the plunger as you wanted.

There was another version of this device, made of cast steel or similar and shaped like a small hand grenade. The two halves were held together with an elastic band with the cap(s) sandwiched between. If you filled up the recess intended for the cap with crushed match heads as well as a cap you could make a lot of smoke as well as a loud bang. As kids we found ways to make much better bangs with easily obtained things but I won't go into that on here.

HD

[DaveH]

There was another version of this device, made of cast steel or similar and shaped like a small hand grenade. The two halves were held together with an elastic band with the cap(s) sandwiched between. If you filled up the recess intended for the cap with crushed match heads as well as a cap you could make a lot of smoke as well as a loud bang. As kids we found ways to make much better bangs with easily obtained things but I won't go into that on here.

HD

Sure we have discussed the bangs thing previously, - the nitrogen tri-iodide one for example.

[hilldweller]

Sure we have discussed the bangs thing previously, - the nitrogen tri-iodide one for example.

A lot of the bigger "bangs" we made as kids I wouldn't dare discuss on a public forum.

You have to remember that most kids of my generation had dads who had recently been involved in a contratemps in Europe & elsewhere.

They had brought back a lot of "souvenirs" from the war and were a bit blase about keeping them secure.

The comics of the time were full of WW2 explosive daring-do and we tried our best to emulate them.

It's a great wonder that we all retained the standard issue of ten digits and two eyes although eyebrows were often in short supply.

We complain nowadays about kids playing with their iphones and game consoles but it's a hell of a lot safer than the things we played with.

HD

[ukelele lady]

I saw a coal man delivering yesterday, it's something I haven't seen for ages.

I know some people still have open fires which got me thinking of chimney sweeps.

So if there's still open fires then chimney sweeps must still be around.

Where's a chimney sweep when you need one, Yellow Pages?

[Bayleaf]

There's a coalman delivers round us, but with a much smaller truck than in the past, an indication of how many fewer people use solid fuel.

Chimney sweeps are still in business, flues from gas fires need clearing as well as chimneys.

[Unitedite Returns]

A lot of the bigger "bangs" we made as kids I wouldn't dare discuss on a public forum.

You have to remember that most kids of my generation had dads who had recently been involved in a contratemps in Europe & elsewhere.

They had brought back a lot of "souvenirs" from the war and were a bit blase about keeping them secure.

Of course, any future involvement in any contratemps, either in Europe, or elsewhere would not be allowed under current UK and European Health and Safety Regulation.

Someone would be instructed to carry out a full risk assessment in order to evaluate the dangers of participating in any such military activity and issue prohibition notices to both parties, preventing any participation in any warlike activities, on pain of prosecution. <_<

[ukelele lady]

There's a coalman delivers round us, but with a much smaller truck than in the past, an indication of how many fewer people use solid fuel.

Chimney sweeps are still in business, flues from gas fires need clearing as well as chimneys.

Is it still an offence to have smoke puffing out of your chimneys?

[Waterside Echo]

A lot of the bigger "bangs" we made as kids I wouldn't dare discuss on a public forum.

You have to remember that most kids of my generation had dads who had recently been involved in a contratemps in Europe & elsewhere.

They had brought back a lot of "souvenirs" from the war and were a bit blase about keeping them secure.

The comics of the time were full of WW2 explosive daring-do and we tried our best to emulate them.

It's a great wonder that we all retained the standard issue of ten digits and two eyes although eyebrows were often in short supply.

We complain nowadays about kids playing with their iphones and game consoles but it's a hell of a lot safer than the things we played with.

HD

Every now and again at playtime we would talk about what our dad's did in the war. One day we decided we would look around at home to see what war related items we could find and bring them to school. Later we turned up at school with the things we had found. Harold L brought a Very pistol, I had a German dagger, Barry W who could always go one better brought a large German automatic pistol [decommissioned] Joe L brought along a empty ack-ack shell. Everyone apart from me was allowed to keep these items in their desk's, Mr Turner my teacher asked me to put the knife in his desk till home time. No lecture, no panic, just take them straight home lads. W/E.

[DaveH]

Is it still an offence to have smoke puffing out of your chimneys?

It has been an offence to have smoke coming out of your chimney since the full implementation of the Clean Air Act (1956).

In Sheffield the act was fully implemented in 1965, after which time your "coal man" was not actually selling you coal as such but was instead selling you coke or "smokeless fuel".

As this fuel has been processed in the coking plant to remove the smoke producing content it is quite difficult to get it to produce smoke at all.

However, you can still buy coal for certain uses. When I was in Sheffield Steam Club we used to buy 10 tons of coal for our annual steam rally (and it isn't cheap these days) as traction engines need specific heat output fuels to run the engine optimally. It is still a requirement to control smoke emmisions as far as possible and you can still commit an offence by not doing.

Some of the cheaper, imported Polish coal burns with a lot of smoke.

[ukelele lady]

It has been an offence to have smoke coming out of your chimney since the full implementation of the Clean Air Act (1956).

In Sheffield the act was fully implemented in 1965, after which time your "coal man" was not actually selling you coal as such but was instead selling you coke or "smokeless fuel".

As this fuel has been processed in the coking plant to remove the smoke producing content it is quite difficult to get it to produce smoke at all.

However, you can still buy coal for certain uses. When I was in Sheffield Steam Club we used to buy 10 tons of coal for our annual steam rally (and it isn't cheap these days) as traction engines need specific heat output fuels to run the engine optimally. It is still a requirement to control smoke emmisions as far as possible and you can still commit an offence by not doing.

Some of the cheaper, imported Polish coal burns with a lot of smoke.

I've been to these steam rallies and it pays not to wear anything that you don't want to spoil.

I finished up going home covered in little black bits but I had a good day and loved the smell

of all the steam engines, they should bottle it. he he

[madannie77]

I've been to these steam rallies and it pays not to wear anything that you don't want to spoil.

I finished up going home covered in little black bits but I had a good day and loved the smell

of all the steam engines, they should bottle it.

Steam rallies can be a good place to get smutty , as can steam railways. I have a shirt covered in black spots from a trip around Appleby Frodingham in a brake van behind a steam loco.

We still have coal fires in these northern climes. On a cold clear morning the odour is detectable even out on the edge of Carlisle where I live. Even have a neighbour who works for a coal merchant.

[Bayleaf]

Steam rallies can be a good place to get smutty , as can steam railways.

Ahem, isn't there a forum rule concerning 'smut'? :huh:

[ukelele lady]

Ahem, isn't there a forum rule concerning 'smut'?

Don't be a spoil sport , let us girls get smutty if we want to. :ph34r:

[Bayleaf]

Don't be a spoil sport , let us girls get smutty if we want to.

I don't want to be a spoil sport, but if it happens again I might have to tell Steve, our Head Prefect. -_-

[DaveH]

I've been to these steam rallies and it pays not to wear anything that you don't want to spoil.

I finished up going home covered in little black bits but I had a good day and loved the smell

of all the steam engines, they should bottle it.

While we working at steam rallies, especially in poor weather in a muddy field, if we were taking money on the gate we used to wonder about the common sense of some people, usually women, visiting the rally.

They would be wearing white or light coloured fashionable designer clothing and high heeled shoes to wade through inches of mud.

My wife and I would usually be wearing either boiler suits or rainproof coats and wellies, unfashionable but much more sensible under the circumstances.

I wouldn't recommend bottling the smell from the engines as I am pretty certain it would not be good for your health.

[DaveH]

We still have coal fires in these northern climes. On a cold clear morning the odour is detectable even out on the edge of Carlisle where I live. Even have a neighbour who works for a coal merchant.

So, Cumbria and the beautiful lake district never implimented the clean air act, and instead rely on those southwesterly winds to carry away their pollution to fall as acid rain in Scandinavia!

Now, lets see, The Lake District, what a lovely place, smoke polluted atmosphere, radiation leak risk from Sellafield nuclear power station.

Compare that to Sheffield, a dirty industrial City, now cleaned up and modernised, nice clean air, minimal industrial pollution risks.

But which is best?

There's only one way to find out!.......

[DaveH]

Don't be a spoil sport , let us girls get smutty if we want to.

Most girls in the steam club ended up smutty if they worked on the engines lol