Things in living memory which seem very anachronistic now

[75A]

Bognor definately had a MacFisheries, dont think it was posh enough for a FHW.

 

[Western Lord]

Previously know as 'The Fifty Shilling Tailor'.

Surely it was Burton's who were the fifty bob tailors. John Collier was a (slight) cut above.

 

[Acey]

Elderly women saying " mustn't grumble " pertaining to events such as having their homes destroyed during the blitz , especially compared to some people nowadays getting in a tizzy over minor things and using totally over the top expressions !

 

[AlterEgo]

Rotary phones. We had one when I was a kid in the late 1980s.

 

[Indigo Soup]

Slide rules. I have my father's, and still occasionally use it in anger. But I doubt very many people within ten years (probably more) of my age would even know what one was, much less how to use it.

Not anachronistic as such... but pushchairs designed to be easily taken down and stowed when on buses, trains, or cars. Apparently now replaced by 'buggies' which require the attention of a team of qualified fitters to assemble and can carry sufficient supplies to be independent of logistic support for sixty days, but cannot be accommodated in anything smaller than a medium-sized van.

 

[najaB]

Rotary phones.

Slide rules.

Starting to get a sense of deja vu - I think both of these have been mentioned at least twice already in the thread.

 

[AM9]

Surely it was Burton's who were the fifty bob tailors. John Collier was a (slight) cut above.

No, it was JC, see here from Google

"John Collier was a British chain of shops selling men's clothes. Founded in Leeds, West Yorkshire in 1907 by Henry Price, the chain expanded to over 400 stores across the country, most of which traded under the Fifty Shilling Tailors brand. In 1953, the company was sold to UDS, which renamed it John Collier."​

Burtons was a cut above JC.

 

[nlogax]

Hotels with shared bathrooms and a sink in the corner of each guest room.

 

[GordonT]

An expensive linen tablecloth being the default option for being in situ prior to a meal being served at table in a domestic household.

 

[swt_passenger]

My mum knows how to write shorthand.

I wonder if that really has much use in the days of cheap high quality audio recording devices, automatic transcription services, and AI which can summarise key points in conversations.

I thought AI could make up conversations without you even needing to be there?

Starting to get a sense of deja vu - I think both of these have been mentioned at least twice already in the thread.

18 times according to a search for ‘slide rule’ in this thread, and even more if you include the other similar threads..

 

[Bald Rick]

18 times according to a search for ‘slide rule’ in this thread, and even more if you include the other similar threads..

Which technology did you use to add that up

 

[swt_passenger]

Which technology did you use to add that up

One of those mechanical pocket calculators we had in the 60s…

 

[Bald Rick]

One of those mechanical pocket calculators we had in the 60s…

The sum being under twenty, I assumed you’d had to take your socks off.

 

[Western Lord]

No, it was JC, see here from Google

"John Collier was a British chain of shops selling men's clothes. Founded in Leeds, West Yorkshire in 1907 by Henry Price, the chain expanded to over 400 stores across the country, most of which traded under the Fifty Shilling Tailors brand. In 1953, the company was sold to UDS, which renamed it John Collier."​

Burtons was a cut above JC.

I obviously went to the wrong shop for my first suit!

 

[BingMan]

I obviously went to the wrong shop for my first suit!

In my youth in 50s and 60s Leeds John Collier were regarded as the best affordable tailor. I don't think that Burton did the pseudo made to measure outfits that JC did.

 

[dangie]

In my youth in 50s and 60s Leeds John Collier were regarded as the best affordable tailor. I don't think that Burton did the pseudo made to measure outfits that JC did.

My wedding suit in 1972 was made by John Collier. I think they did ‘Ready Made Made to Measure’ suits.

I was measured for my suit. I think their system was to get an already made suit and adjust it to fit. My first fitting was awful. It went back and was altered. Took 2 or three fittings to get it right or at least into something that didn’t make me look like a sack of spuds.

 

[BingMan]

My wedding suit in 1972 was made by John Collier. I think they did ‘Ready Made Made to Measure’ suits.

I was measured for my suit. I think their system was to get an already made suit and adjust it to fit. My first fitting was awful. It went back and was altered. Took 2 or three fittings to get it right or at least into something that didn’t make me look like a sack of spuds.

My first suit came from JC. I was led to believe that their Made to measure department held a lot of ready made pieces in different sizes which were stitched together to make a suit that fitted.

Slaters menswear in Manchester, where I bought my last suit, adopt the adjust it while you wait system

 

[Acey]

My fashion peaked at C&A !

 

[AY1975]

OHMS brown envelopes

Are they not used anymore? If not, what do they use instead? Just plain envelopes so if you receive an official government document that used to be sent out in an OHMS brown envelope you no longer have any idea what it's likely to be?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Are they not used anymore? If not, what do they use instead? Just plain envelopes so if you receive an official government document that used to be sent out in an OHMS brown envelope you no longer have any idea what it's likely to be?

Yes, plain brown window envelopes. Likely with "UK Mail" in the top right on Royal Mail delivery licence number C9 10001.

 

[GordonT]

The more widespread ability to interpret UK vehicle registrations in terms of year of registration and/or county of the registering authority. AA members even had a few pages in the AA handbook dedicated to listing the county codes such as SN which, for example, identified that my late parents' "Baby Austin" DSN 823 was registered in Dunbartonshire.

 

[Lewisham2221]

The more widespread ability to interpret UK vehicle registrations in terms of year of registration and/or county of the registering authority. AA members even had a few pages in the AA handbook dedicated to listing the county codes such as SN which, for example, identified that my late parents' "Baby Austin" DSN 823 was registered in Dunbartonshire.

It's still easy to achieve both* - the first letter is the registration region, the numbers are the year of registration**

More information in this booklet from the DVLA

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6694e379fc8e12ac3edafc60/inf104-vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj9uvOlltCLAxXfbEEAHZXNDWo4ChAWegQIQhAB&usg=AOvVaw0WjkdLUVRriX_wX0El_-SX

* - registrations are now based on a wider region rather than a specific city or county.

** - vehicles registered in the half of each year have 50 added to the year, so a vehicle registered at the end of 2022 would be a '72' plate.

 

[DelW]

Are they not used anymore? If not, what do they use instead? Just plain envelopes so if you receive an official government document that used to be sent out in an OHMS brown envelope you no longer have any idea what it's likely to be?

Yes, plain brown window envelopes. Likely with "UK Mail" in the top right on Royal Mail delivery licence number C9 10001.

Not quite, or at least not always ....



(Image of white envelope printed "On His Majesty's Service")

 

[Indigo Soup]

It's still easy to achieve both* - the first letter is the registration region, the numbers are the year of registration**

In principle yes, but in practice many cars are purchased and/or driven somewhere other than where they were registered, and a surprisingly large number have personalised registration of one kind or another. Both were unusual even ten or fifteen years ago.

 

[AY1975]

Hotels with shared bathrooms and a sink in the corner of each guest room.

And communal TV lounges in hotels instead of each bedroom having its own TV. Obviously that only worked if everyone wanted to watch the same channel.

 

[Killingworth]

An expensive linen tablecloth being the default option for being in situ prior to a meal being served at table in a domestic household.

With napkins carefully laid out by each place - and kept in personalised serviette rings in posh houses.

On residential courses in the 1960s, and probably quite a bit later, we were all issued with linen napkins to be retained in our numbered pigeon holes in a large serviette rack.

Today's paper serviettes don't need washing and ironing.

 

[Indigo Soup]

And communal TV lounges in hotels instead of each bedroom having its own TV. Obviously that only worked if everyone wanted to watch the same channel.

I remember being proudly shown the TV lounge in some student accommodation (or possibly the Student Union?) when I was going to university open days. It was 2006....

 

[philthetube]

Soda syphons on public bars

 

[D6130]

Water taps on public bars in Scotland with which to dilute your whisky. There are still a few left in heritage pubs....but very few still in working order.

 

[bleeder4]

In principle yes, but in practice many cars are purchased and/or driven somewhere other than where they were registered, and a surprisingly large number have personalised registration of one kind or another. Both were unusual even ten or fifteen years ago.

In general, it is still possible to work out which part of the country you are in just by looking at number plates. Where I live, taking out the personalised number plates, there are still a majority of cars with V or W as the first letter. The further out of the region I head, the fewer and far between these become. When I was up in Scotland over Christmas the majority of plates all began with S, a clear indication I was in Scotland and a letter that is very rarely seen at all in my part of the country. Heading back south home down the M6, a clear indication that I was nearing the Midlands again was when I started seeing familiar letters in number plates again.