REMEMBERING OUR SIXTIES FURNITURE [NO SPACE TOYS]

Shamelessly unrelated to space toys, of which there have been quite a few this week, this is one of my occasional posts about nostalgia, which I enjoy writing and hopefully some of you enjoy reading.

As I said the other day I remember the 'stuff' from my past clearly. Just not the people moving around it.

One area I recall vividly is the stuff my Folks had in the house and here are a few random recollections:

The Bureau - this was a strange bit of furniture. Sloped at the front like a roof with a chest of drawers underneath. Like half a wooden house. The neat thing was that the sloped front opened out to create a flat desk. Inside the space behind it were slots and mini-drawers filled with everything my Parents needed to write a letter. Pens [Parker], paper [Basildon Bond], paper clips, stapler, envelopes, blue airmail pad [Lion brand], blotting paper, indian ink, stamps, stamp wetter, green shield stamps and lots of old mail stuffed into slits and slots. To use the desk you pulled up a chair and sat down. I don't think I ever wrote a letter on it but the whole thing fascinated me. I was always intrigued by the fact its name also cropped up in the full name of the FBI!

Monk's Seat: this was another peculiar bit of wooden furniture. It was made of something like mahogany I think. It was very dark wood and it was polished a lot. The odd thing was that the top could be slid down the back to reveal a bench like seat below. This was also a handy storage container for more stuff. I never saw anyone sat in the seat, certainly not a monk thank God. The top was always in position and that's where my parent's kept the GPO dial telephone. The one I recall was beige and I completely adored the motion and sound of dialling. Next to the phone was a money box on which my Dad had written in capitals 'Pay Up or Shut Up!'. I think this was aimed at my chatty older siblings since I didn't have any money of my own!

Deeply carved What Not: I don't know what else to call this. Its one of the very few things I have from my Parent's house and its in my own room now. Its basically a wooden cube with ornately carved half-sides and a similarly carved top. On the top centre is a flat circle on which something could be stood. The half-sides allow something to be displayed in the 'cube'. Maybe plants or maybe books? It stands on a column ending in three small legs. Very gothic-looking indeed and straight out of a Hammer Horror.

Flintlock lighter: there were tons of fancy table fag lighters and upright ashtrays in the house. Smoking was culturally sound back then and everyone over the age of 10 seemed to puff on something. I wanted a pipe but I never got one. The flintlock lighter was a pirate's pistol stood on its own wooden stand. When taken up and the trigger pulled it would emit a flame for lighting a woodbine. It was an authentic bit of kit and I adored hefting it and pulling the trigger. A catalogue classic it was the first thing you saw on the small table in what was called the Breakfast Room. Not sure why. I don't recall having brekkers in there. It was next to the galley kitchen.

Knight in Armour Fire Dogs: not sure if that's the right name but I'm talking about those iron tools which were used for poking fires and picking up coal. There were several around the place as a few rooms had open fires or enclosed ones behind glass doors - rayburns?. The fire tools stood upright behind a large iridescent metal Knight who guarded the hearth. It weighed a ton that thing and  was typical of how Knights of old were part of the average household back then: on the walls, on the fireplace and on the telly.

Coat hooks or cloakroom: lets say coat hooks as it wasn't a room as such. The family's coats were all hung up on a line of about 10 hooks. These were on the wall in a recess in the hallway under the stairs. A half open stairwell, where many things got dumped beneath the coats - motorbike helmets, brollies, shoes and so on. I think the bureau ended up there too. One side of the recess was the door to the cellar. There were so many coats hung up - there were six people after all - that you could easily disappear just by standing behind them, which I often did during the frequent battles I had with my two older brothers. A neat trick was to stand behind a long coat and put your arms into the sleeves. In this way you could launch a sudden attack should one of the enemy be stood facing you!

That's it for now. More furniture tales to come ... if you want!

What do you remember?