General Chat

yes I do remember the first one we got, it was a race to answer it by all the family, and the look of fright when they did. so funny :)

We had our first phone in 1962 and felt very posh. My parents wouldnt have one until the 90s and my mother never used it, just waited for people to phone her - that ways it didnt cost as much !!

I don't ever remember not having a phone. My grandparents certainly had one on 1950 and when Mum, Dad, brother and I moved out in 1951 we had a phone in our new house. Mum was a GPO telephonist and Grandad was on call for London Bus Company. When I got married in 1968 we lived in rented rooms in an attic (!) and didn't have a phone for the 9 months we were there. I was glad to move out so we could have a phone of our own! Now we have 3 landlines in our house and 3 mobiles, and only 3 of us living here! Greedy aren't we? LOL Sue xx

early 50s and it was a party line. Ann Glos

Hi My parents had a phone before I was born but the 1st one I remember was a trim phone - cream colour. That would have been early 70's Penny

I can't remember our house not ever having a phone - I can even remember the number : 1085 in the days before automated exhange I think! lol I can certainly remember my mum telephoning the doctor when I was screaming with earache as a toddler - so well over 50 years ago. We lived quite a way from the village so I guess it was the only way my mum could keep up with the gossip - and boy - could she gossip! I expect it was a bit of a status symbol - she was into those as well! lol Jean - You have made me roar yet again!! - we did the self same thing when mum got her first automatic washing machine. I think mum washed every curtain in the house to keep us entertained! LOL Magsxx

Itsy My parents had the same problem with neighbours always wanting to use the phone. Of course they didn't mind usually but one particular family came round at most inconvenient times for trivial calls. My brother bought a little wooden box to sit by the phone.- I can see it now in my mind, 'Phone from here whene'er you will But don't forget who pays the bill' Mum never asked them to pay though and sadly some didn't offer.

We used to have a huge plastic oney box shaped like a penny strategically placed next to the receiver! - hint hint! LOL Magsx

My parents had one in the late 50s, and to this day the number has stuck in my head 5383 .I can not remember my own number now !! xxx Jill

Jean - If you don't write a book or at least a series of articles for a magazine with this sort of thing in you need your head testing. I have just choked on a strawberry! That was hilarious - but it's all in the 'delivery' too! - You should have been a comedienne lol Magsxx

I agree Mags! Jean, You give us a wonderful picture of homelife and people encountering these 'new fangled' appliances.