One hundred years of one house in Chorlton part 57 ............ bold new designs and a bit of Formica

The continuing story of the house Joe and Mary Ann Scott lived in for over 50 years and the families that have lived here since.*

Now I would just love to know what Joe and Mary Ann made of the new household designs which were featured in Woman’s Own for January 12 1956.

Of course they may never have taken the magazine but they would not have escaped the exciting new ideas for transforming their early 20th century house into one which fitted with the 1950s.

Looking at them today they seem quite ordinary and just a little old fashioned but back then they were at the cutting edge of all that was new and innovative.

The basic designs were all there two decades earlier but were way out of reach of most working people.

But by the mid 50s that was changing.  My own parents were already making inroads into our old fashioned house and I bet Joe and Mary were too.

It was partly as a result of the growing prosperity, along with new mass produced materials like plastic and Formica and the ever present offer of hire purchase, which meant for a “few pounds down and the rest over easy instalments” bits of the new life could be pretty much within the reach of every one.

All of which marks the 1950s off as more of a mould breaker than perhaps “the swinging 60s.”

Here were bold new colours, exciting fabrics and designs which relegated the old heavy furniture in many peoples’ dreams to a place in a museum along with the odd dinosaur and other ancient relics.

Now just how far Joe and Mary went I have no idea.

When I moved into the house, their possessions had long ago vanished and John Mike and Lois had set about stamping their 70s style on the house.

But I rather think Mr and Mrs Scott would have embraced all that change.













Pictures; from Woman's Own, January 12 1956

*The story of a house,
http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20story%20of%20a%20house