Even given the ever increasing price of the stuff many of us will just get with using it, thankful that barring an accident the systems will come on at the push of a button or turn of the tap.
Most appliances are fairly utilitarian come in a number of shades of white and just do the business.
But back in the late 19th and early twentieth century’s gas could still be glamorous and it was the fuel of the future.
Read any of the handouts from the municipally controlled gas boards and you enter a world of cheap clean and safe living whether it be lighting the home or feeding the family.
Manchester Corporation both sold and rented gas cookers and in time did the same for electricity offering also very competitive rates for wring old houses.
The South Metropolitan Gas Company was founded in 1829 and began an ambition programme of building gasworks at Vauxhall, Bankside and Thames St, Greenwich. These were extended by mergers with other companies, and bring me nicely back to the show rooms.*
The provision of gas along with its appliances was big money and to win over customers the show rooms had to look the part.
Now there is a piece of hard sell which can’t be bettered.
And just to doubly remind you of all the wonders of the place each picture post card had the times of opening on the back.
I think even I would have been impressed.
Pictures; from Tuck & Sons in a series titled London, South Metropolitan Gas Company, courtesy of Tuck DB, http://tuckdb.org/
*The National Archives, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=1866-sesom&cid=0#0
My mother was the first female manager of a showroom, first at Sydenham then Old Kent Road.
ReplyDelete