I doubt anyone born later than 1930 ever wore a detachable collar, other than the clergy and a few people engaged in ceremonial events.
They were once very popular, allowing you to change the collar which could be washed, starched and ironed separately from the shirt.
The added bonus of course was that while the collar might have become quite grubby, the shirt could be worn for another day, and because a starched collar is stiff and can be uncomfortable, once away from work you could take it off and just wear the shirt.
There are plenty of family photographs of grandfather and his brothers staring back at me minus their collars.
And here I have to admit that back in 1964 at the tender age of 14 I began to wear them for school.
The shirts carried a feint red and grey striped pattern, and the detachable collars were white, which at the time I thought was quite a fashion statement.
Of course fastening the collar to the stud at the back of the shirt was a faff, and on very hot days undoing the top button was not possible.
But we have all suffered for our desire to strike out and be different.
In my case the alternative were those bri-nylon shirts, which required no ironing and could be hung up to dry after a quick passage through the washing machine.
The downside was that they were uncomfortable to wear in very hot weather and seemed to stain under the arm pits.
All of which is an introduction to another attic story, which this time comes from my old friend Ann Love, who burrowed deep into her family collection and came up with a wonderful set of items from the early decades of the last century.
Ann’s father was an undertaker and they lived at 523 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton.
The house was part home, but also the office. The coffins were made in the garage at the back and the deceased were laid out in a room in the house.
And as was the practice in the first half of the twentieth century, staff attending a funeral wore formal dress which included not only a detachable collar, but the winged variety.
Ann found a collection of the collars "which were the wing collars, still in their box. I'd never looked at them closely before, but apart from two which were from Lewis's, the others seem to come from Ireland.
I also found photos of my father and grandfather wearing wing collars, all dressed up for their job, as undertakers”.
There is lots more, including trade cards, “a travelling shaving set, which I believe was my grandfathers, obviously not used much.
A strop, for sharpening blades, and two boxes of shaving equipment. I love the boxes, particularly the 'Rolls Razor' which is nicely decorated and fits together very cleverly".
Added to all these Ann has over the years shared with me a selection of her drawings of the house and surrounding area made while she was studying art.
All together they make a fascinating record of how one family lived in Chorlton.
At which point there is a danger that I will fill the story with bits of Ann’s finds, but for those you will have to read new the book which is “The Lost Stories of Chorlton-cum-Hardy …. In Our Attics, Cellars, Garages and Sheds”.
The book is predicated on that simple idea that we all have “treasures” stored away which tell our own personal story as well as casting light on the history of the last two centuries.
Peter and I are working on it as I write, but would welcome contributions.
You can contact us by leaving a comment on the blog or through Facebook, telling us just what you have and its importance to you and your family.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; what Ann found, 2020, from the collection of Ann Love.
The added bonus of course was that while the collar might have become quite grubby, the shirt could be worn for another day, and because a starched collar is stiff and can be uncomfortable, once away from work you could take it off and just wear the shirt.
There are plenty of family photographs of grandfather and his brothers staring back at me minus their collars.
And here I have to admit that back in 1964 at the tender age of 14 I began to wear them for school.
The shirts carried a feint red and grey striped pattern, and the detachable collars were white, which at the time I thought was quite a fashion statement.
But we have all suffered for our desire to strike out and be different.
In my case the alternative were those bri-nylon shirts, which required no ironing and could be hung up to dry after a quick passage through the washing machine.
The downside was that they were uncomfortable to wear in very hot weather and seemed to stain under the arm pits.
All of which is an introduction to another attic story, which this time comes from my old friend Ann Love, who burrowed deep into her family collection and came up with a wonderful set of items from the early decades of the last century.
Ann’s father was an undertaker and they lived at 523 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton.
The house was part home, but also the office. The coffins were made in the garage at the back and the deceased were laid out in a room in the house.
And as was the practice in the first half of the twentieth century, staff attending a funeral wore formal dress which included not only a detachable collar, but the winged variety.
Ann found a collection of the collars "which were the wing collars, still in their box. I'd never looked at them closely before, but apart from two which were from Lewis's, the others seem to come from Ireland.
I also found photos of my father and grandfather wearing wing collars, all dressed up for their job, as undertakers”.
There is lots more, including trade cards, “a travelling shaving set, which I believe was my grandfathers, obviously not used much.
A strop, for sharpening blades, and two boxes of shaving equipment. I love the boxes, particularly the 'Rolls Razor' which is nicely decorated and fits together very cleverly".
All together they make a fascinating record of how one family lived in Chorlton.
At which point there is a danger that I will fill the story with bits of Ann’s finds, but for those you will have to read new the book which is “The Lost Stories of Chorlton-cum-Hardy …. In Our Attics, Cellars, Garages and Sheds”.
The book is predicated on that simple idea that we all have “treasures” stored away which tell our own personal story as well as casting light on the history of the last two centuries.
Peter and I are working on it as I write, but would welcome contributions.
You can contact us by leaving a comment on the blog or through Facebook, telling us just what you have and its importance to you and your family.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; what Ann found, 2020, from the collection of Ann Love.
No comments:
Post a Comment