Into the 1950's
 A new decade begins
The Home
A quick tour around the House
TV of the 50's
Black & White & not enough! Radio of the 50's
The magic of Radio at it's height
The Weekend
Kids & Families free days

Growing Up and living in the 1950's and 1960's

Going Shopping
 When shopping meant just that
Schooldays
Fountain Pens and Free Milk! The Garden
Examples of a typical Garden
Books and Cinema
Imagination and fantasy
Fun and Games
When kids came out to play

Unless stated, all pictures on these pages are either from photograph's owned by myself or from my Scrapbooks.

It seems strange to think that when I was born in 1948 that hardly anyone had a Television set, let alone a car !

The differences in technology, living standards and how we live have changed drastically.
The changes to politics both geographically and 'ideology' wise have brought about new peace but new conflicts as well.

What I have found out lately is how much childhood and coming to maturity affects the rest of your life and shapes you for future years.

I have just finished a three year long project with the University of Brighton called 'Learning Lifes'.
This entailed regular sessions with a Researcher and the occasional attendance by a Professor, who are taking a certain amount of peoples lifes trying to analyse why we are what we are at a given moment.

Somehow or other they came across 'Down the Lane' and thought I'd be a good candidate!

The more I got involved with the project, the more I could see a lot of answers for myself. Things like
'Why do I do things this way'
'Why am I different to so and so over a certain issue'
'Why do I get annoyed or frustrated at this and that'

It all seems it derives from my Childhood and Teenage years through upbringing, education, social environment, leisure etc.

All the information gathered in the Project goes toward future University Colloquium's and will be placed on a National Database for people to read in years to come.
At least, if I'm not leaving any money when I go, I will have left a lot of paperwork and a few unanswered questions!

As the interviews went on, I started getting the vibes to write a lot of it down myself, not the highly personal stuff of course. Blimey, that would wake a few people up in the mornings!

But it would be a kind of document of nostalgia for those who like to look up something and say "I'd forgotten about that or them" and maybe be of some use to those looking out of general interest.
A sort of shortened life story through two and a bit decades.

Being born when I was makes the decades into nice Chapters; 1940's - birth, 1950's - Childhood, 1960's - Teenage and maturity(ish!) and if I went further, 1970's marriage and starting a family of my own etc.

Personal experiences of
With the photo's taken from my Scrapbook of 1952, if anyone would like full size copies for their own interest and private use, please email me at downthelane@dsl.pipex.com. There are 100's more pictures. I'm also lucky enough to have old family photo's as well. I hope you enjoy browsing through this section and a few thing's may bring back happy memories.
The Festival of Britain 1952. Note the Millenium type Dome! Now the site of 'London Eye'

I've been around for the building of the Berlin Wall - and the removing of it!

The memory of the computer which sent man to the moon in 1969 was half the size of a modern day mobile phone

'We are particularly interested in the ways in which adults respond to events in their lives and in the processes of learning involved in such responses'.
 THE LEARNING LIFES PROJECT

1960 - the Beginning
A sign of things to come
Wheelbarrows to Lambrettas
Starting off on wheels!
 My 1960's Cars
Always lasting memories
 An education
Secondary School & College
 My part in British Blues!
Not a very big one!

The Music Revolution
Leading the musical change
 Starting Work
From Chemists to London
Leisure Time
Relaxing thru the 60's!
1960's Television
A new era for television
General Lifestyle
Observations of general living