Now I say Em’s story but strictly speaking it is her friend Kelly who came across a collection of “bits belonging to her Nana”, and Emily sent then north to me.
They consist of a trolley bus ticket, two small tins and a set of instructions.
And here I feel my age, because when I told Em that I thought the ticket was a trolley bus ticket, she relied by asking “what was a trolley bus?”
But to be fair Emily was born in 1980, a good two decades after trolley buses were beginning to disappear from our streets.
I have to say I wasn’t a fan of them. I don’t know whether it was the smell of the leather seats, the constant accelerating and decelerating or just that the inside always seemed so hot, but I always ended up feeling travel sick.
They had a short life with London Transport. The first batch of 60 entered service in 1931 and the last were replaced by motor buses in 1962.*
I tracked the ticket down to east London, via a fascinating map of “Trolleybus and Tram Routes, 1947” and while I think our ticket will date from the late 1950s or early 60s, at least one of the routes on the ticket shows up on the map .*
At which point I could get a tad nostalgic, if that is I was fond of trolley buses, but as I am not I shall finish with the two tins, one of which was designed to “Relieve, Indigestion, Heartburn, Flatulence, Acidity, [by taking] One or two Tablets sucked after meals will give you complete STOMACH COMFORT”.
It was made by Meggeson who had been established in 1796 and in the 1950s and 60s were based in Bermondsey.
So far I haven’t been able to find out any more, although I do know that according to the National Archive, “the 1957-1966: minute book of directors and general meetings (previously Beckdale Laboratories Ltd) are held privately".
I can’t recall that we ever had a tin of Meggeson’s in the house, referring Andrew’s Liver Salts.
But we did like most homes have at least one tin or packet of Elastopast, which back in those days was still made with a fabric coat, which quickly went soggy when you washed or went swimming.
And for those unfamiliar with how to use the product, the tin came with a set of helpful instructions, for which you paid one shilling.
So, that is all I have to say, other than the objects might make their way into the new book, on Lost Stories …of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in our Attics, Cellars, Garages and Sheds***
Of course they will have to be in a special chapter about things from around the world, given that all four come from south east London.
If I move quickly and deftly I doubt Peter will notice,
Alternatively I could just own up and suggest he comes up with something from Preston, where he was born.
We shall see.
Location; south east London
Pictures; family objects, circa 1950-60, from the collection of Kelly Richards
*Trolleybuses in London, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybuses_in_London
**“Trolleybus and Tram Routes, 1947”, Mapping London, https://mappinglondon.co.uk/2018/trolleybus-tram-routes-1947/
***A new book on the Lost Stories; https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20new%20book%20on%20The%20Lost%20Stories
And here I feel my age, because when I told Em that I thought the ticket was a trolley bus ticket, she relied by asking “what was a trolley bus?”
But to be fair Emily was born in 1980, a good two decades after trolley buses were beginning to disappear from our streets.
I have to say I wasn’t a fan of them. I don’t know whether it was the smell of the leather seats, the constant accelerating and decelerating or just that the inside always seemed so hot, but I always ended up feeling travel sick.
They had a short life with London Transport. The first batch of 60 entered service in 1931 and the last were replaced by motor buses in 1962.*
I tracked the ticket down to east London, via a fascinating map of “Trolleybus and Tram Routes, 1947” and while I think our ticket will date from the late 1950s or early 60s, at least one of the routes on the ticket shows up on the map .*
It was made by Meggeson who had been established in 1796 and in the 1950s and 60s were based in Bermondsey.
So far I haven’t been able to find out any more, although I do know that according to the National Archive, “the 1957-1966: minute book of directors and general meetings (previously Beckdale Laboratories Ltd) are held privately".
But we did like most homes have at least one tin or packet of Elastopast, which back in those days was still made with a fabric coat, which quickly went soggy when you washed or went swimming.
And for those unfamiliar with how to use the product, the tin came with a set of helpful instructions, for which you paid one shilling.
So, that is all I have to say, other than the objects might make their way into the new book, on Lost Stories …of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in our Attics, Cellars, Garages and Sheds***
If I move quickly and deftly I doubt Peter will notice,
Alternatively I could just own up and suggest he comes up with something from Preston, where he was born.
We shall see.
Location; south east London
*Trolleybuses in London, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybuses_in_London
**“Trolleybus and Tram Routes, 1947”, Mapping London, https://mappinglondon.co.uk/2018/trolleybus-tram-routes-1947/
***A new book on the Lost Stories; https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20new%20book%20on%20The%20Lost%20Stories
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