100 Forgotten Memories of Life in 1960s Britain

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]Here are 100 forgotten memories from 1960s Britain that have vanished so completely that younger generations cannot comprehend they ever existed. The shocking reality. This was barely 60 years ago. Yet everything that made daily life distinctly British has disappeared. From the silent electric buses to the nightly national anthem, an entire way of life evaporated. And it all began with tinned salad that somehow seemed sophisticated. Hines produced tinned salads, including vegetable salad and potato salad. Throughout the 1960s, these weren't fresh. They were vegetables suspended in mayonnaise inside tins. Hines marketed them as convenient modern food. Each tin weighed approximately 7 oz. The taste was distinctive, somewhere between chemical preservation and optimistic convenience.

[00:00:53]But tinned salads weren't the only peculiar food product dominating 1960s kitchens. Vesta Curries launched in the early 1960s as Britain's first taste of international cuisine for millions. The box contained dehydrated meat, rice, and sauce sache requiring boiling water.

[00:01:11]Vesta sold millions of boxes annually.

[00:01:14]The curry bore absolutely no resemblance to actual Indian food, but tasted distinctly of chemicals and British enthusiasm. Exotic food wasn't the only peculiarity in 1960s kitchens and households everywhere. Paraffin heaters were portable heating devices burning liquid paraffin fuel. These distinctive cylindrical heaters sat in corners radiating warmth and a distinctive petroleum smell. Millions of British households relied on paraffin heating before central heating became standard.

[00:01:44]The fuel was purchased from hardware shops in metal containers, and every bed needed the distinctive covering that kept you warm. Counterpanes were decorative bedspreads, typically quilted or woven, covering the entire bed during daytime. These weren't duvys, but thick traditional bed covers often passed down through families. Most featured geometric patterns or floral designs in browns and creams. Counterpanes were folded away each night before sleeping.

[00:02:11]The high street dominated every British town with familiar shop names.

[00:02:15]Woolworths operated over 1,000 stores across Britain during the 1960s. The pick and mix sweet counter was legendary, allowing children to select individual sweets weighed out in paper bags. Woolworths employed over 30,000 people with annual revenues exceeding 200 million pounds. Everything from vinyl records to household goods was available. Speaking of familiar sites, every street had this particular visitor. The insurance man collected weekly premiums doortodoor, recording payments in small books. These agents worked for companies like Credential and Pearl. Millions of working-class families paid weekly life insurance this way. The insurance man typically visited the same day each week, becoming part of community routine. from visitors to the educational controversies that sparked genuine outrage.

[00:03:04]Many British schools banned ballpoint pens throughout the 1960s, insisting pupils use fountain pens and ink.

[00:03:11]Teachers argued ballpoints encouraged poor handwriting and slovenly penmanship. Pupils appointed as ink monitors, distributed bottles to fill ink wells. The ban gradually ended as ballpoint technology improved and became unavoidable. Children's ingenuity created entertainment from literally nothing but scrap. Children built go-karts from discarded pram wheels, wooden crates, and rope for steering.

[00:03:37]These homemade vehicles were steered using feet and provided dangerous entertainment down hills. Every neighborhood featured children racing homemade carts. Building them required genuine engineering skill and scavenging ability from skips and dumps. Homemade toys were ingenious, but commercial toys became the real phenomenons. Etch, a sketch, launched in Britain in 1960 as a revolutionary drawing toy. Two knobs controlled horizontal and vertical lines drawn in aluminium powder on glass. The Ohio Art Company manufactured millions throughout the decade. Each cost approximately £250 at launch. Creating curved lines required genuine artistic skill and patience. And for boys obsessed with James Bond, there was one essential toy. The Corgi Aston Martin DB5 launched in 1965 after Goldfinger became a phenomenon. Model number 261 came in gold with working ejector seat and machine guns. Corgi sold over 2.5 million during the first year. The toy cost approximately 15 shillings.

[00:04:40]Children lost countless plastic baddies down sofa backs. Toys entertained during the day, but evenings ended with a distinctive broadcasting ritual.

[00:04:49]Television broadcasting stopped each night around midnight with a formal closeown sequence. The BBC played the national anthem over images of the queen before transmitting only a test card.

[00:05:00]Announcers wished viewers good night and instructed them to switch off their sets. Broadcasting resumed around 9:00 a.m. with formal opening sequences.

[00:05:09]Another unique form of transport was the silent electric bus. Trolley buses were electric buses powered by overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles.

[00:05:18]London operated the world's largest system with 1,811 trolley buses at peak. These silent vehicles were replaced by diesel buses between 1959 and 1962.

[00:05:30]The final London trolley bus ran in 1962, ending an era of clean transport.

[00:05:36]Urban transport was one thing, but countryside excursions defined British summer holidays. Caraban outings were organized coach trips to the seaside or countryside for working-class communities. These open topped motor coaches carried entire streets to Blackpool or South End. Working men's clubs and factories organized annual Sharabank trips. The tradition dated from the 1920s but continued throughout the 60s. For longer summer holidays away from home, every British family knew these seaside institutions. Butlins and Pontines holiday camps dominated British seaside holidays during the 1960s. These all-inclusive resorts featured chalets, dining rooms, and evening entertainment with red coats. Butlins operated nine camps accommodating thousands weekly.

[00:06:20]Families booked for entire weeks with three meals daily and organized activities for children. Time now for the social revolution that fundamentally transformed British life. The contraceptive pill became available on the NHS in 1961. Initially only for married women. By 1967, the Family Planning Act allowed unmarried women access. This revolutionized women's lives, separating sex from reproduction.

[00:06:46]The pill was estimated to be used by 1 million British women by 1969.

[00:06:51]Social change was profound, but corner shops remained constant with their sweet selections. Spangles were square- shaped, boiled sweets Mars manufactured throughout the 1960s. They came in unusual flavors, including Old English and acid drop. Each suite was individually wrapped in wax paper. Mars sold over 200 million packs annually.

[00:07:12]The sweets could last an entire bus journey if sucked properly. Speaking of distinctive corner shop sweets, these fizzy chalky tablets were absolutely peculiarly British. Refreshers were fizzy sweet tablets manufactured by Swizzles. These small circular sweets fizzed intensely on your tongue with sherbet centers. Each sweet cost just a penny from corner shop jars. The distinctive fizzing sensation came from citric acid and sodium bicarbonate reacting with saliva. Time to explore the television that shaped the decade.

[00:07:45]The Black and White Minstal show ran on BBC from 1958 to 1978, reaching peak popularity during the 1960s. White performers in blackface sang minstrel songs and variety numbers. The show regularly achieved audiences exceeding 16 million viewers. It was hugely controversial even then, finally cancelled in 1978.

[00:08:07]Another variety show featured household names and famous entertainers performing live sketches nightly. Sunday Night at the London Paladium ran on ITV from 1955 to 1967.

[00:08:18]This variety show featured top entertainers performing live from the famous theater. The show regularly pulled 20 million viewers. Bruce Forsight hosted from 1958 to 1960, making him a household name.

[00:08:31]Television-shaped culture, but music absolutely dominated the decad's youth rebellion. The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in February 1964.

[00:08:41]Watched by 73 million Americans. This appearance transformed them into global superstars. Back in Britain, Beatlemania was already rampant with hysterical fans besieging concerts. The Fab 4 released seven UK number one albums during the 1960s.

[00:08:58]Murzybeat wasn't the only British music act conquering international charts during the invasion. The Rolling Stones positioned themselves as the dangerous alternative to the Beatles cleancut image. Their 1967 drug arrest scandalized conservative Britain. The news of the world ran exposees about their lifestyle. Despite controversy, they scored eight number one singles during the decade. Music rebellion was one thing. Fashion took the shock even further. Minikirts became fashionable in 1964. Designed by Mary Quant, these skirts sat several inches above the knee, scandalizing older generations. By 1966, minikrts dominated women's fashion throughout Britain. Conservative MPs condemned them as immoral. Young women embraced them as symbols of liberation and modernity. Men's fashion during the decade was absolutely equally revolutionary, featuring distinctive psychedelic patterns. Paisley shirts featured intricate teardrop patterns in psychedelic colors. These shirts became fashionable around 1967 during the summer of love. Men wore them with flared trousers and kipper ties. The pattern originated in Paisley, Scotland centuries earlier, but experienced 1960s revival, now for the cars that put ordinary families on the road. The Morris Miner continued production throughout the 1960s, becoming Britain's first car to sell over a million units.

[00:10:22]These reliable, economical vehicles were everywhere on British roads. Morris manufactured them at Cowi with distinctive split windscreen until 1969.

[00:10:32]The minor cost approximately £635 in 1960.

[00:10:37]Ford's rival came from Anglia with distinctive design defining family motoring differently. The Ford Anglia 105E launched in 1959 but dominated the early 1960s. This compact car featured distinctive sloping rear window. Ford manufactured over 1 million units. The Anglia cost around £610 and was Harry Potter's flying car decades later. It featured revolutionary 997 cm engine. Cars got families around, but distinctive shops defined every British high street. Home and colonial stores operated hundreds of grocery shops across Britain. These shops predated supermarkets, featuring individual counters for meat, cheese, and provisions. Staff weighed and wrapped everything individually. The chain employed thousands with distinctive green and white branding throughout the 1960s.

[00:11:31]Timothy Whites filled a different niche, specializing in chemist and hardware goods. Timothy Whites and Taylor operated approximately 600 chemist and hardware shops. The shops sold medicines, toiletries, photographic supplies, and household goods. They employed several thousand people during the mid60s. The chain eventually merged with Boots, disappearing from British high streets. Forgotten food products helped define the decad's convenience revolution. Erd's Dream Topping launched in 1964 as a powdered whipped cream substitute. This magical powder was added to milk and whisked for 2 minutes, creating light, fluffy topping. The product gave families affordable cream for desserts when fresh cream was expensive. Dream Topping went on trifles, tinned fruit, and jellies throughout British homes. Instant Whip arrived earlier, promising sophisticated dinner party fair for ambitious hosts.

[00:12:24]Instant Whip launched in the early 1960s, predating Angel Delight. This powdered dessert mix required only cold milk and whisking. Birds manufactured various flavors, including chocolate and strawberry. The product promised sophisticated desserts within minutes.

[00:12:40]Each packet cost approximately one shilling. Desserts were sweet, but pub drinks defined British social life completely. Wattney's party. Seven was the large beer can containing seven pints. These distinctive cylindrical cans launched in 1968 for home consumption. The can required a special opener to pierce the top. Party 7s became synonymous with 1960s house parties despite containing mediocre keg bitter. The actual layout and atmosphere of pubs themselves looked completely different back then. Pub snugs were small private rooms within pubs, typically for women or couples wanting privacy. These tiny separate areas featured their own serving hatches. Most pubs maintain multiple separate rooms, including public bar, saloon bar, and snug. The layout reflected rigid class divisions gradually disappearing. Now for the household items that were in every home. Twin tub washing machines featured separate drums for washing and spinning. These required manually transferring wet clothes between drums.

[00:13:43]Hoover and Hot Point manufactured millions throughout the 1960s. Each machine cost around £60. Automatic washing machines gradually replaced them during the early 1970s.

[00:13:55]For keeping food fresh before refrigeration became universally standard, there was the distinctive cabinet. Larders were cool cupboards or small rooms for storing food before refrigerators became standard. These typically featured stone or marble shelves and ventilation to outside. Most houses built before 1960 included purpose-built larders. Refrigerator ownership increased from 6% in 1956 to 69% by 1971.

[00:14:25]Storage solved one problem, but essential laundry equipment addressed another nightmare. Mangles were mechanical devices for ringing water from wet laundry using two rollers.

[00:14:36]These heavy cast iron contraptions required cranking by hand. Most households owned mangles until spin dryers became affordable. The danger of getting fingers caught in rollers was genuine and frequently occurred. Time to explore the forgotten and peculiar aspects of British state education.

[00:14:53]School milk was provided free to all British school children until 1971.

[00:14:58]Every school day featured midm morning break where children drank thirdp pint bottles. Approximately 5 million children received free milk daily. The milk often sat warming in sunlight developing distinctly unpleasant taste and texture. Corporal punishment using wooden canes was absolutely standard practice in every British school.

[00:15:19]Corporal punishment using canes was standard in British schools throughout the 1960s.

[00:15:24]Teachers and headmasters administered canings for various infractions. Pupils were caned on hands or bottoms. The practice continued until gradually banned during the 1980s and finally outlawed in state schools in 1986.

[00:15:39]Education happened at school, but real childhood entertainment happened at home. Watch with Mother was the BBC programming strand for preschool children broadcast at 1:45 p.m.

[00:15:49]weekdays. The slot featured programs like Andy Pandy, The Flowerpot Men, and The Wooden Tops. Each program was only 15 minutes long. Mothers were expected to watch alongside children. Another beloved children's program featured magical roundabouts and peculiar animated characters on screen. The Magic Roundabout began broadcasting in 1965, featuring Dooall, Zebedee, and other characters. Eric Thompson provided English narration that bore little resemblance to the French original. The surreal 5-minute episodes aired just before the evening news. Adults found the psychedelic imagery fascinating. Now for the sweets sold from corner shop jars. Sherbet fountains were cardboard tubes filled with sherbet powder and a licorice straw. Children dipped the licorice into sherbet and sucked. Each fountain cost just three pint. The combination of licorice and sherbet was distinctly British. The cardboard often became soggy from moisture. Flying sauces delivered fizzy sherbet powder in completely edible, thin rice paper shells. Flying sauces were rice paper discs filled with sherbet powder. These virtually weightless sweets dissolved on your tongue, releasing fizzy sherbet.

[00:17:02]Corner shops sold them by weight for pennies. The rice paper stuck persistently to the roof of your mouth.

[00:17:08]Time for the music acts that defined British pop. Helen Shapiro scored two number one hits before turning 17. You don't know and Walking Back to Happiness both topped charts in 1961.

[00:17:22]Her mature voice belied her teenage years. The Beatles toured as her support act in 1963. Her career declined after Murzybeat arrived. Cliff Richard and the Shadows represented a different generation dominating the charts entirely. Cliff Richard scored 14 top 10 hits during the 1960s. The Shadows provided backing and instrumental hits including Apache and Wonderful Land.

[00:17:46]Together they represented British pop before the Beatles arrived. Cliff successfully transitioned from rock and roll to middle of road entertainment throughout the decade. Music set the mood. Fashion accessories completed the entire rebellious look. White lipstick became fashionable during the mid 1960s, particularly during the mod era. Mary Quant and other manufacturers produced pale lipstick shades. Young women paired white lipstick with heavy eye makeup and false eyelashes. The look represented 1960s fashion experimentation at its most distinctive. Women's hair required serious chemical processing and hours of work for the desired effect. Beehive hairstyles required backcombing hair into tall conicle shapes held with excessive hairspray. These gravitydefying styles reached peak popularity around 1963.

[00:18:37]Women spent hours creating beehives or visited hairdressers weekly. The style required sleeping carefully to avoid crushing overnight.

[00:18:46]Dusty Springfield epitomized the beehive aesthetic. British engineering ambition reached its peak with the Eype. E-ype Jaguar launched in 1961 as Britain's most beautiful sports car. Enzo Ferrari called it the most beautiful car ever made. The E type featured 3.8 L engine reaching 150 mph. Prices started around £2,000 making it affordable compared to Continental rivals. Another revolutionary British car eventually became the bestselling car in automotive history. The Mini launched in 1959 but dominated the 1960s, selling over 1.1 million units. Alec Isagonis designed this revolutionary small car with transverse engine. The Mini cost £497 at launch. It transcended class boundaries driven by everyone from aristocrats to workers. Cars enabled mobility. Forgotten shops defined the actual British retail experience. Mac Fisheries operated over 400 shops selling fresh fish throughout Britain.

[00:19:48]These distinctive shops featured marble slabs and refrigerated displays. The chain employed thousands during the 1960s. Unilver owned Mac Fisheries, gradually closing shops as supermarkets dominated during the 1970s. Another distinctive high street shop chain across Britain specialized in confectionary and tobacco products.

[00:20:07]Maynards operated numerous confectionary shops selling sweets, chocolate, and tobacco. The company was famous for wine gums and other sweets. Maynard's shops featured distinctive branding throughout British high streets. The retail shops gradually closed as supermarkets expanded their confectionary ranges.

[00:20:25]Time for more forgotten food products from the decade. Condensed milk was used as cream on desserts throughout the 1960s. Nestle and Carnation produced sweetened condensed milk in distinctive tins. Most households lacked refrigerators until late 1960s, making tinned milk essential. Condensed milk went on everything from tinned fruit to trifles. Tinned fruit cocktail represented another supposedly sophisticated entertaining option for ambitious hosts. Tinned fruit cocktail was considered sophisticated dinner party fair. Delmone and other brands produced mixed fruits in syrup. These featured cubed pineapple, cherries, grapes, and peaches. Fruit cocktail appeared at every 1960s dinner party, often with condensed milk masquerading as cream. Food was one daily necessity, but British motoring had its own distinctive rituals.

[00:21:18]Petrol stations employed attendants who filled your tank, checked oil, and cleaned windscreens. Self-service petrol didn't arrive until the late 1960s and early 1970s. Attendants wore distinctive uniforms and caps. Most stations employed several attendants working in shifts throughout the day. The actual roads and motorways themselves looked and operated completely differently back then. AA and RAC emergency telephone boxes lined major roads throughout Britain. These distinctive yellow or red boxes contain telephones connected directly to breakdown services. Members carried keys to access the boxes. The organizations employed thousands of patrolmen riding motorcycles who saluted passing members. Saturday evenings belonged exclusively to television variety entertainment. Jukebox Jury ran on BBC from 1959 to 1967 featuring celebrity panels reviewing new record releases. David Jacobs hosted the show where panelists voted records hit or miss. The show regularly achieved audiences exceeding 12 million. The Beatles famously appeared as panelists in 1963.

[00:22:27]Another Saturday evening show featured traditional variety entertainment and parlor games. Billy Cotton Band show ran on BBC throughout the 1960s featuring variety entertainment. Billy Cotton's distinctive Wakey wakey opening became legendary. The show featured musical numbers, comedy sketches, and guest stars. It represented traditional variety entertainment gradually becoming unfashionable. Time for the sweets that were sold loose from jars. Ana seeded balls were hard-boiled sweets with intense anaed flavor changing color as you suck them. These spherical sweets turned tongues red from coloring. Corner shops sold them from large glass jars by weight. Each ball could last for ages if sucked rather than crunched. Sherbet dabs delivered pure fizzy sugar powder with a lollipop stick for dipping.

[00:23:12]Sherbet dabs were paper bags containing sherbet powder with a licorice or lollipop for dipping. Children licked the lollipop then dipped it into sherbet. Each dab cost three from corner shops. The sherbet fizzed intensely on the tongue creating distinctive sensation from sweets to the household technology that transformed cooking.

[00:23:32]Pressure cookers became popular during the 1960s for speeding up cooking times.

[00:23:37]These heavy pans cooked food under steam pressure at higher temperatures.

[00:23:41]Prestige manufactured the most popular models. Pressure cookers required careful monitoring and occasionally exploded spectacularly when safety valves failed. For making toast over gas flames or fires, there was the long-handled wire contraption. Toasting forks were long-handled forks for making toast over gas flames or fires. These telescoping or fixed forks held bread slices over heat. Most households owned toasting forks before electric toasters became affordable. The toast often burned on one side while remaining pale on the other. Now for the distinctive aspects of British social life. Doorstep milk delivery was universal throughout the 1960s. Milkman delivered pint bottles in distinctive electric milk floats starting around 5:00 a.m. Bottles had cardboard tops that birds pecked through. Customers left empty bottles outside with notes requesting quantities. Milk often froze in winter, pushing bottle tops upward. Bread vans provided a different delivery service, bringing fresh loaves every morning.

[00:24:40]Bread delivery men drove vans delivering fresh bread doortodoor throughout neighborhoods. These vans featured distinctive sirens or bells announcing arrival. Customers bought bread, cakes, and crumpets directly from the van. The practice gradually declined as supermarkets expanded during the 1970s.

[00:24:58]Daily deliveries were routine. Evening entertainment filled the long dark hours. Radio Luxembourg broadcast popular music from the Grand Duchy throughout evening hours. The station was hugely popular with teenagers broadcasting on 208 medium wave.

[00:25:13]Reception was variable with distinctive fading and crackling. Radio Luxembourg circumvented BBC's restrictions on pop music broadcasting. Another BBC radio show featured naval situation comedy that became legendary throughout the decade. The Navy Lark ran on BBC radio from 1959 to 1977, featuring comedy set aboard fictional HMS Troutbridge. John Perwe, Leslie Phillips, and Steven Murray starred throughout the series.

[00:25:42]The show regularly achieved audiences exceeding 10 million listeners. It represented radio comedy's golden era.

[00:25:49]Childhood in the 1960s meant specific toys everyone remembers. Macano was the metal construction toy featuring nuts, bolts, and perforated strips. Boys spent hours building cranes, bridges, and vehicles from metal components. Macano sets ranged from basic outfits costing shillings to comprehensive sets costing pounds. The company employed hundreds at Liverpool factory. For creative play and school art lessons throughout Britain, there was the distinctive modeling clay.

[00:26:20]Plasterine was the non-drying modeling clay used in schools and homes throughout the 1960s. Harbert's manufactured plasterine at Bathampton in distinctive color ranges. Each bar cost around 6 pence. The clay could be reused indefinitely, but picked up dirt and debris over time. From toys to the fashion that shocked conservative Britain. Beetle boots were elastic-sided ankle boots with Cuban heels popularized by the Beatles. These distinctive boots became fashionable for young men around 1963 and Nelloo and David manufactured the original Beatles boots. The style represented mod fashion and youth rebellion against conservative dress codes. Men's hairstyles required distinctive hair products and creams for the desired neat sllicked effect. Brow cream was the hair cream used by men throughout the 1960s. The slogan a little dabble dooya became famous.

[00:27:12]County Chemicals manufactured brow cream with distinctive packaging. Men used it to slick hair back in various styles.

[00:27:19]The product gradually declined as longer hairstyles became fashionable. Now for the cars that represented affordable family motoring. The Ford Cortina launched in 1962, becoming Britain's bestselling car by mid decade. Ford manufactured over 1 million Mark1 Cortas between 1962 and 1966.

[00:27:39]The Cortina cost around £670 at launch. It represented modern, reliable, affordable family transport for ordinary Britons. Another family car offered distinctive Italian styling at affordable British prices for everyone.

[00:27:54]The Vauhall Viva launched in 1963 as a small family car. General Motors manufactured Vavers at Luton with distinctive Italian styling. The car cost approximately £530 at launch.

[00:28:06]Vauhall sold over 300,000 Mark1 Vivas before the MK2 arrived in 1966. From cars to the shops that defined every high street. 50 shilling tailor operated hundreds of men's wear shops offering affordable suits. The name came from suits costing 50 shillings, £250. These shops employed thousands selling off the peg suits to working men. The chain gradually disappeared as fashion became more casual during the 1970s. Dun and Company operated nationwide selling formal men's wear and accessories to businessmen. Dunn and company operated over 100 men's wear shops selling hats, suits, and formal wear. The company originated in 1887, but reached peak during the 1960s. Dun sold distinctive trilby hats and bowlers to businessmen commuting to London. The chain disappeared as hatwearing declined. Time for forgotten aspects of British childhood. Conquers was the autumn game involving horse chestnuts threaded on strings. Children competed to smash opponents conquers by taking turns hitting. Successful Conquers gained numbers indicating victories. Schools increasingly banned conquers during subsequent decades, citing safety concerns that would have mystified 1960s children. Hopscotch needed even less equipment than conquers, just chalk and pavement. Hopscotch was played on pavements throughout Britain using chalkdrawn grids. Children threw stones onto numbered squares, then hopped through the pattern. Every street and playground featured hopscotch grids drawn by children. The game required no equipment beyond chalk and a stone.

[00:29:42]Childhood games cost nothing, but penny suites were worth the investment.

[00:29:46]Gobstoppers were large spherical hard suites changing color as you suck them.

[00:29:50]Each layer revealed different colors, creating rainbow effect. These jaw-breaking sweets could last for hours. Corner shops sold them from jars, weighing them out into paper bags. Love hearts delivered romantic messages printed directly on chalky sweets in pastel colors. Love hearts were small, chalky sweets with romantic messages printed on them. Swizzles manufactured these distinctive sweets in pastel colors. Messages included, "Be mine and kiss me." Each roll cost just a few pence. Children exchanged them as tokens of affection. Now for the final forgotten items from 1960s, Britain. Ration books finally became obsolete when rationing ended in 1954.

[00:30:33]However, many households kept their old ration books throughout the 1960s as souvenirs. The books represented wartime and post-war privation. Younger children during the 60s couldn't comprehend that suites had once been rationed. One final forgotten memory is the iconic public telephone that connected Britain together. Red telephone boxes were ubiquitous throughout Britain during the 1960s. The iconic K6 design by Giles Gilbert Scott lined every street. Calls cost four pints using button A and button B mechanism. These boxes smelled distinctly of urine and stale tobacco smoke. Night soil collection vehicles operated during darkness, emptying outside toilets discreetly. Night soil collection involved council workers emptying outside toilets from households lacking indoor plumbing. These workers operated during night hours to avoid disturbing residents. Many working-class areas still relied on outside toilets throughout the early 1960s. The practice gradually ended as indoor plumbing became universal. From sanitation to the shops that defined British high streets everywhere. Duehurst operated over 1,400 butcher shops across Britain during the 1960s.

[00:31:48]These shops featured sawdust covered floors and meat hanging in windows.

[00:31:52]Butchers wore distinctive striped aprons and straw boers. Vestie Group owned Duhurst, employing thousands throughout the decade. Lion's Corner Houses provided grand establishments selling tea and light meals. Lion's Corner Houses were grand tea rooms in major British cities. These multifloor establishments featured different themed rooms with live orchestras. Waitresses called nippies served tea, cakes, and light meals. The Coventry Street Corner House in London seated 4,500 people across multiple floors. Time for the sweets that were particular favorites of the decade. Fruit salad shoes were rectangular sweets tasting vaguely of fruit. These incredibly cheap sweets cost just a half penny each. They came in distinctive pink and yellow wrappers with fruit illustrations. The flavor was completely artificial but somehow addictive to children. Blackjacks were their partner sweet featuring distinctive and intense aniseed flavor.

[00:32:51]Blackjacks were an flavored chews turning your tongue and teeth completely black. These sweets cost the same half penny as fruit salads. The intense aniseed flavor divided opinion among children. They came in black wrappers with distinctive branding that hasn't changed. From sweets to the household products that were absolutely everywhere.

[00:33:12]Vim was the scouring powder used for cleaning sinks, baths, and cookers. The distinctive green tin was in every household throughout the 1960s. Vim contained chlorinated lime, creating powerful abrasive action. The slogan Vim cleans right round the bend became famous. For washing dishes by hand, there was the distinctive green liquid detergent. Squeezy was the washing up liquid in distinctive plastic bottles with lemonshaped dispenser caps. These bottles were squeezed to dispense liquid rather than poured. The product created mountains of bubbles for washing dishes.

[00:33:48]Colgate Palmlive manufactured squeezy throughout the 1960s. Now for the cars that represented affordable sporty motoring for ordinary people. The MG was the affordable sports car that ordinary Britain could actually buy. BMC manufactured midgets from 1961 with 1,098 cm engine. The two-seater convertible cost around £670 at launch.

[00:34:12]Over 100,000 were sold during the 1960s, making sports cars accessible. The Triumph Spitfire competed directly, offering British engineering at competitive prices.

[00:34:24]The Triumph Spitfire launched in 1962 as a competitor to the MG Standard Triumph manufactured over 45,000 during the first generation to 1967. The Spitfire featured distinctive styling and cost approximately £730.

[00:34:42]It represented affordable British sports car motoring for enthusiasts. From sports cars to the distinctive aspects of British shopping, Green Shield stamps were the loyalty scheme operating across Britain. Shoppers collected stamps in books with full books exchangeable for goods from cataloges. The scheme operated massively with over 20 million British households collecting stamps.

[00:35:04]Tesco and other retailers gave stamps with purchases. Kelloggs ran a different scheme with coupons from cereal packaging for gifts. Kellogg cereal boxes contained free toys throughout the 1960s. These plastic toys included submarines, cars, and characters.

[00:35:18]Children persuaded mothers to buy specific cereals for particular toys.

[00:35:23]The toys were often more desirable than the actual cereal inside boxes. Time for the forgotten beverages that quenched British thirst. Corona was delivered to doorsteps in returnable glass bottles by men in vans. The company operated across Britain with networks of local bottling plants. Corona produced lemonade, orange aid, cherry aid, and cream soda in distinctive bottles. They employed over 2,000 people delivering approximately 50 million bottles annually. Taiser provided bright red fizzy refreshment in distinctive rippled glass bottles.

[00:35:56]Taiser was the bright red fizzy drink with the slogan the appetizer. The 1960s version tasted completely different from modern Taiser with distinctive flavor nobody could identify. It came in returnable glass bottles delivered by local bottlers across Britain. From drinks to the television programs that became national obsessions. Emergency Ward 10 ran on ITV from 1957 to 1967 as Britain's first medical drama. The twice weekly serial was broadcast live initially before recording became standard. The show regularly achieved audiences exceeding 12 million viewers.

[00:36:31]It launched careers of numerous British actors. Coronation Street captured workingclass life in Northern England's industrial heartland perfectly.

[00:36:39]Coronation Street launched in December 1960, becoming Britain's longestrunn television program. The Granada serial depicted workingclass life in industrial Manchester. Early episodes regularly achieved audiences exceeding 20 million viewers. The show made stars of Violet Carson and Pat Phoenix, now for the toys that shaped 1960s childhoods across Britain. Cindy Dolls launched in 1963 as Britain's answer to American Barbie.

[00:37:08]Pedigree Dolls manufactured Cindy with more realistic proportions than Barbie.

[00:37:12]The doll came with extensive wardrobe and accessories. Cindy sold millions throughout the 1960s, becoming the bestselling toy in Britain. Action Man arrived in 1966 to provide boys with their own fully articulated doll. Action Man launched in Britain in 1966 under license from American Gwan Joe.

[00:37:32]Palatotoy manufactured these articulated figures with realistic hair and gripping hands. The figures came in various military uniforms with extensive equipment. Action Man became the bestselling boys toy throughout subsequent decades from toys to the musical instruments that defined British pop. Vox amplifiers. Vox amplifiers were the distinctive sound of 1960s British rock. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and countless bands used Vox AC30 amplifiers. Jennings Musical Industries manufactured Vox at Dartford factory.

[00:38:05]The AC30 cost approximately £70 and became synonymous with British invasion sound. Electric guitars were essential equipment for bands creating the new British sound. Burns guitars were manufactured in Britain throughout the 1960s. Jim Burns created distinctive electric guitars used by many British musicians. The company operated from London, producing models like the Bison and Marvin. Burns guitars cost considerably less than American Fender or Gibson equivalents. Fashion defined the decade through distinctive trends and rebellion. Wlp picker shoes featured extremely pointed toes popular during the early 1960s.

[00:38:43]These narrowtoed shoes were worn by mods and rockers alike. The pointed toes could extend several inches beyond actual toes. Winklepickers gradually became unfashionable as the decade progressed. Carnaby Street in London became the absolute center of British fashion for the world. Carnaby Street became the epicenter of 1960s British fashion from around 1964.

[00:39:06]The London street featured boutiques like Lord John and Gear selling mod clothing. International tourists visited specifically to experience British youth fashion. Carnaby Street represented Britain's cultural dominance, now for the distinctive aspects of British domestic life. Coal fires heated most British homes throughout the 1960s.

[00:39:26]Families built fires each evening using coal delivered by merchants. The ritual involved laying paper, kindling, and coal before lighting. Smoke from millions of coal fires created distinctive smog in British cities. Coal deliveries needed storing somewhere accessible, but preferably out of sight from visitors. Coal bunkers were outdoor storage containers for coal supplies.

[00:39:48]These metal or concrete structures held several weeks worth of coal. The coal man emptied hundred weight sacks into bunkers during deliveries. Most homes maintained coal bunkers until central heating became standard. From heating to the final forgotten items from the decade, bake light telephones were standard in British homes throughout the 1960s. These heavy black devices were rented from the GPO. The dial mechanism clicked satisfyingly when making calls.

[00:40:16]Telephones were fixtures rather than movable appliances with limited cord length. For more forgotten British culture, watch our video exploring 100 forgotten things from 1970s Britain.

[00:40:28]These 100 forgotten memories from 1960s Britain prove how completely ordinary life has transformed in 60 years. Some changes like central heating improved life immeasurably. But the loss of doorstep deliveries, community routines, and simpler pleasures makes Britain somehow less connected than the closely knit communities that existed throughout this remarkable decade.

[00:40:52]If you enjoyed this journey through 1960s Britain, you'll love 100 Forgotten Things from 1970s Britain.