BRITAIN AS IT WAS - MILK, COAL AND ANY OLD IRON 

I’m a child of the 60s & 70s & can remember the rag & bone with cart & horse. I’m also of the generation that witnessed this tradition slowly vanish

L P Hartley's line: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” is wrong! For me, the present is the foreign country where everything is done differently, the past is home.

Remember bigots, Sad Khant and Diane Abacus's lot built this country and don't you forget it. All these pictures were taken during Ramadan in order to deny the existence of their "contribution" in building up our broken country. Most of the people pictured didn't have a pot to piss in but they are head and shoulders above what is regarded as "British" today. My dad had most of those vans long after they were new right into the late 70's. He even slept in them while working away from home. I didn't appreciate it as I should have at the time as it just seemed normal. In the late 60's I could hop on my tiny tricycle and go right across the town to visit the old rag and bone man and he didn't murder me even a little bit. I suppose he was what people used to call a tinker. We used to collect the Corona bottles pictured and sell them back to the man in a van so we could buy some sweets. I have to admit that this video made me a bit tearful.

born in 1955. I remember these lovely days, the sun seemed like it was always shining? everyone knew everybody in their town and street, we even had a "corona pop man" round once a week and we would get 3pence back for each empty bottle! who says we wern,t "green " then eh? same with the milk bottles,we walked "safely" to school ,cycled or got the bus, and didn,t get into mum,s diesel taxi showing off to the neibours while polluting the air because in those days no,one had a car! no mobile phones, social media, nasty messages to read and everybody just seemed to "get on" it just felt like an endless trouble free peaceful world! whitch I suppose it was? we , who were born in that time definately saw the best of britain! memories that no,one can take from us as surely one by one of us take those memories to our graves, when us "grey topped gammons" speak about "the good ol, days, we wern,t lying, may the future generations be able to say the same to their children, god bless you all.....😇💞✝....

It shows us what we already know! WE ARE COMPLETELY BETRAYED 😢

No knife crime the police served the public not harassing them , you could leave a door open good people great times the kids where safe now 😮 well i dont need to explain

When Britain was British 🇬🇧🇬🇧👌

Born in the 1940s I remember rivers being dredged regularly and drains being cleaned, thereby lowering the risk of flooding. I had an idyllic childhood, free to play in the fields, fish in the river with a shilling fishing net and enjoy the countryside. We didn’t have much money but how I wish the children of today could enjoy the freedoms we did.

In the late 50s and early 60s we had a chap who came down our street with a converted bike with a pedal driven grinding wheel on it and he sharpened knives and scissors. You don't see that any more.

As a child of the 50s, I remember the coal man, dustbin man (the ones who hoisted galvanised bins on to their shoulders), the rag and bone man (horse drawn cart), bread and grocery deliveries, the knife sharpener, even a gas street lamps.

And strangely enough, everybody was of the same shade.😂😅

OMG these bring back many happy memories, the good old days

I was born in 1955 and spent most of my childhood in the slums of Salford, probably the best years of my life, great mates, playing out all the time and none of the pathetic behaviour we see today....

Corona Cream Soda. Yes please.

I’m a 70’s kid, I remember the horse n carts, the dray wagons, and the alpine men,selling fizzy pop,(or trying to,) I had a milk round in the early 80’s ,,,the good ole days,,, today this country is like a different place!

I was born in 1941. I remember: Horse and cart with milk in milk churns from the farm up the lane. The farmer had a measuring scoop to put milk in our jug. Later milk in bottles with foil tops from the co-op. I worked as an assistant Co-op milkman at the weekend in my teens. It really screwed up an weekend recreation but it paid well. Empty bottles were taken back to the depot for washing and refilling at the dairy. The Co-op used one token for each bottle. The tokens were purchased at the Co-op shop. The colour of the token was different for each grade of milk. Black was normal silver top bottles. The foil colour indicated the grade of milk a well as the token. It wasn't unusual for bluetits to peck through the foil and steal milk. Some customers had a home made box with a lid outside the kitchen door to prevent this. Knife grinder. Ours had it attached to bicycle. He had a folding stand and a grindstone attached to the rear wheel. He pedalled the bike on the stand to drive the grindstone. Newspaper Sellers. They were just in town. I delivered newspapers for a while until I got the milkman job. Fish and Poultry shop. They also sold rabbits. Rag and Bone man. Just like Steptoe and son. Shouting "Rag bone" as they toured around the streets. They also collected old iron. Ice cream. On a trike with the cool box on the front. Window cleaner. Two brothers who travelled by bike with ladders and buckets tied to them. They knocked on the door asking for hot water. Chimney sweep. Essential when heating and cooking used coal and you wanted to avoid a chimney fire. I would stand outside to see the brush emerge from the chimney. Spivs and brush sellers going door-to- door. I can't remember how long it has been since I've heard "Spiv" mentioned in conversation. Lamplighter. We had no street lights along our lane and most street lamps in town were electric. Some were still gas near the gas works so I remember the lamp lighter. Dustbin men. They actually came into the yard to collect the bins and brought them back when empty. No wheelie bins. The bin lorry was just like he one shown. I think that were made by Commer. Note that hey also collected what was called "salvage" consisting of mainly newspapers (except for those torn into squares for use as toilet paper) which we now call "recycle." No plastics of course. I'm not sure about cans. Road sweeper with bin cart. Coal man. Usually in bags which he carried to our coal house. Sometimes it was dumped on the pavement. My job was to move the coal to the coal house bucket-by-bucket. Steam lorry. There was one in town but I can't remember what it was used for. Bedford van. There were many around. Insurance man. Came to the house and collected regular premiums weekly or monthly. Mainly for life insurance, I think. Post man. He still comes, but not by bike. I did letter deliveries one Christmas as a teenager. Pop man/Corona man. I worked part-time during term time or full time during holidays for most of my teenage years whilst still at school. One summer I worked at a pottery. My last summer job whilst waiting fo my "A" level results was labouring on a building site. I would do almost anything to earn a few bob. That included odd jobs for my uncle who owned a pub. I'm retired but I still need to keep busy even though I don't need the money and it's usually projects in my home. I've basically been working for over 70 years. Although my working day is rarely more than 4 hours. I need a siesta. In addition: Gypsies selling pegs and trinkets plus fortune-telling door to door. It was considered bad luck not to "cross their palms with silver" or turn them away. The bad luck sometimes resulted in a missing garden gate. Tramps (homless) begging, asking for a drink of water or food, but sometimes offering to do some gardening in exchange. Father collecting horse manure from the road for the garden. Public toilets in town with a full time cleaner in an little office. Separate cleaners and offices for male and female. Only one left in town now and no resident cleaner. Carol singers door-to-door. Great pictures. Brings back lots of memories.

I was born in 1937 many of these scenes are very familiar to me …Happy days long gone now .

I remember all to well, Born in Bristol in the 50's Besides most of the mobil salesman in the photographs Our fruit and veg man, Come mid summer sold toffee apples a great treat to us kids, On coming of age most of the boys carried a sheaf knife on our belts, For making catapults and fishing, Never ever thought harming anyone!!! Different kettle of fish these days!!!🤔🇬🇧👍

I was born in 1948, these bring back great memories.

Lovely. I remember all these and following the horses with a bucket for Dad's rhubarb. Thanks for the memories, and happy days.

I remember most of these like it was yesterday I'm 1966 child

I was Born in 1957 and remember the Shell fish cart that used to come every Saturday and my mum would buy Winkles from him , I have tried to find Winkles recently but sadly to no avail . great to see these old photos , and its a shame you can not get Corona anymore. Thank you for your photos.♥

At my primary school , there used to be a big wall to keep the kids in , one day a Rag and Bone man went by pushing his barrow, he had balloons attached to it , as it went by the wall all you could see was these coloured balloons floating by , of course this was too tempting for the boys , they threw stones and burst them all. The guy came in to the school and said he would contact the police , Mrs Ballantyne had to give him 2/6 d to get rid of him. Oh happy days .

Im a younger one here, no horse drawn tradesmen in my time, born just before the 60s. But I do remember the coalman, chimney sweep, baker, butcher, grocery mobile shop, rag and bone, milkman, butcher boy on bicycle. Much of that still going when men walked on the moon, but now just the ice cream vans are still around.

I know there were no really 'good old days', but aspects of street life did add colour, variety, culture to the community. Today, the streets feel sterile and devoid of character.

so many memories - thankyou x

We used to get the Salvo army band playing in our street Onward Christian sooooldiers marching on to war with the cross ............ 1950s

and it was bloody beautiful!

Thx for the reminder

The good old days UNTIL it came time to visit the dentist, how things have changed, but it was happy times and looking at this has made me a little sad.

We still get a a bell ringing here in village once every month or so for any old iron...down here in cornwall.

I'm from Bristol in the 60s we had toffee apple man in his van 6pence each lemonade man ice cream man and a van selling bread milk biscuits good times even though money was scarce mum dad always made sure we had food even if they had to miss a meal

My Granny used to make ice cream and my grandad would sell it on a bike with a fridge thing, he was also the first person ever to drive a bus to Biddulph Moor in North Staffordshire 😁

I was born in the 30s, good old days we will never get them back poor but happy

I remember as child going out with the Horse and Cart delivering milk with churns on the cart, the horse moved along on his own to the next house, then in the afternoon we were out again with galvanised bins collecting swill ( food waste) take it back and into the huge swill boiler to use for feeding the pigs ( when bacon and pork was water free).

The Hurdy Gurdy man was in fact the Organ Grinder. The hurdy gurdy man played a completely different instrument, as an old gent does today in Bath. Still it brings back memories of the early sixties.

Born in 1946 I remember all of this and the rag and bone man giving a gold fish in a jam jar for donations of old iron etc.. I also helped with the local milk deliveries and had a cart to carry coal i n, and collect waste from the market to feed the rabit. We also kept chickens and waded for flounders at low tide. Different days.

As a nipper after the War, I remember most of these, and most delivery's were by Horse-Power, when we heard their Calls or Horns, I and my sibblings would nip out sharpish to gather up the horse droppings for moms garden. OUR favourites were obviously the Ice cream man. We moved to Bristol in 1955 ( Bedminster) East Street was a mass of different retail choices. Hygene wasn't the highest facter. The Fishmonger's shop had a window that raised up, so that all the fish was exposed to the fumes and dust of heavy traffic, and the fly's were most grateful too. But nobody seemed to worry about such things then. People shopped daily, and what was bought that day, was usually eaten that day.

WOW !!…. An excellent presentation , well worth the effort ! Thanks you for sharing

Those were the good old days,then we got invaded,it’s a crying shame to see the state of our country now.

A time when community was interacting and a good family bond and values were respected. The honest hard working family were kept warm and had security in finance and property ownership, just working hard for a fare days pay. Now the freedom of all people around the world is slowly been squeezed from our control due to governments and corruption slowly robbing us of our human right to live a fair and prosperous life due to rewarding your country through dilligent service to your profession or company which in theory makes your country strong in growth and economy. Stand up to your rights and realise they need you and us more than we need them. We are there cashcows so fight back and charge your price to them. Revert the squeeze they have on you. YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS ARE YOUR BACKUP AND YOUR JUSTIFICATION. ❤❤ 🙏🙏 PEACE.

AAAAh! Super Great Memories Indeed ! Thanks ! From, U.K. (2024).

Ah I Remember MOST of These, The Good Old Days

Theres too many roads and cars now, not enough countryside for everyone, i remember seeing the heavy horses and the shire horses, they used to do the the really heavy farm work, enduring creatures, very magnificent seeing them as a small boy, all the work back then, sometimes the nearby friends/family working together, for the day, sweet times.

Milkman, bakers van , coal man , rag and bone wagon and my favourite as a kid, the Corona lorry . Milk bottles and pop bottles re used . No plastic wrapped food . Paper bags, Wicker baskets And loose seasonal vegetables . Yet we are told about how lousy we were for the environment.

I grew up in the 1950s and remember all those people coming round also we had a man who came to sharpen knives scissors etc he peddaled away on a bike as he sharpened these items. Lovely times wten this was a great country to live in. Before politicians ruined it.

seems to me that people were not well off back in the days of black and white photos but folk seemed to be happy in there work and in there ways of life even though there work was hard and sometimes toiling. everything had its place and purpose it all ran in an well organised organic fashion with people being all of the same kin. where as today people are well off compared to those times. people today have everything they could possible need and more but today in some ways the world of the working classes has become fragmented and discombobulated and now our country just appears to had its fabric torn apart and run into the dirt. this all being carried out by different governments labour and conservatives passing in out through a never stopping revolving door since the end of the 1960s and before. our own past governments have worked against there own population to basically sell everything off to the highest overseas bidders and has actively acted to fill the county up with anyone and everyone from around the globe more so from the 1990s onwards especially.

60+ here I remember the knife sharpener with a stone wheel on a large cart/bike. And a walk in van with groceries and sweets. And a fish and chip van once a week,/ And a guy with a big fat car with the back open shouting 6pence each toffee apples. Corona pop, us kids took the empty bottles back for a few pennies for sweets.

Thank you. I remember my nan having her milk delivered in Redland area by horse and cart from local dairy.

Born in 1953, so much of this resonates. It made me smile. Thank you.

You missed the ''paper-boy'' !

Thanks for the nostalgia, These memories were all real to me as a young boy. Guess I'm ready for whatever comes next.

I remember playing out side all day ,wasn't allowed to sit in house all day watching TV we were the young generation that had freedom to play out doors ,there were dangers then as there are now but children don't always get the chance to explore and be allowed to be children for that i am grateful ,the internet holds more dangers than playing out side with friends ...

I'm 82 years old and I've seen many of those traders with their vehicles many times. Until very recently, we still had the coal lorry making regular deliveries to my neighbour. Great memories.

And Johnny Onions and the chimney sweep 😁

Really great days as a kid in that time you new everyone in the street and people smile a lot

What lovely nostalgic photos of a sadly, bygone era. I was born in 1948 and remember all of this and also we had a lovely gypsy lady who came round the doors selling little bunches of violets - those were the days. Now the streets are empty and doors kept closed.

Mostly before my time but lovely to see how things were. I remember Mr Whippy, if we missed him going up the road we sat on the kerb and waited for him to come back down. Thank you so much for sharing these lovely pictures ❤

And look where protection has done to us. Wish I could bring back the old days.

Born in 1950 in a northern industrial town I remember many such scenes. Everything seemed to change around 1960 and by the mid 1960's most scenes like these had gone.

Where a bare foot 5yr old could get a fair days pay for a fair days work..oh the good old days

The world we live in now is complete insanity, I’m so grateful I was born when I was & experienced normality. If anyone ever knows where a Time Machine is lurking, let me know cos I’m going back with you!

Living in the suburbs as a kid in 1950s Scotland I recall 'Street Singers' with great tenor voices, 'Onion Sellers' from France in summer , their bikes laden with onions, 'Toys for Rags' men, pony and cart loaded with Briquettes for the coal fires , Indian men peddling cheap scent, brushes and assorted items from a battered old suitcase which they lugged from door to door. Tinker wives with ragged kids in tow selling daffodils in Spring and lucky white heather.

a child of the 60's we had milk delivery, the baker with his basket of bread and cakes, the coal delivery to fill our aga cooker, the rag and bone man and the knife sharpener, home delivery hasnt really changed we just didnt have an app!!

Yep! I sure remember Mum and Dad being with me as a young child. The dustman made a noise as he walked down the lane and Mum told me what was happening. I’m three years off 80 right now, memories can last a bloody LONG time. Goodnight. Nifty J.

Gosh this really made me feel old. I remember most of these

And its such a pity to see this disappear through dei, The people coming in now could never ever understand us and would feel better in destroying it to fit the way they want to live. Its sad and it wasnt all aweful. There was community and the kids were safe. With the types we are letting invade us now theyre doctrine allows them to and makes them when possible put our kids in danger. Its sad and no one wanted that but we have it and we do nothing about it and thats even worse.

Wow, wonderful for sharing. ❤❤

When I was a kid in 1950's South London we had an old boy who came round weekly with groceries on a handcart. I also vividly remember the United Dairies horse-drawn milk float and the rag and bone men.

Memories 😢

Awsome,many happy memories.😊

Thank you so much for taking me to past memories😊😊😊

I am a child of the 50s. My father was a rag and bone man also with a horse and cart. He had to hire the horse and cart every day. I remember him riding off one morning and me crying after him. I was 3 . What memories....

Beam me back there!!!! 😢

I used to love the rag and bone man when i was a child because if mum gave him some old clothes he would give me a colouring book and crayons or a goldfish in a bag! 😊

Lovely. Thanks for sharing.

oh i miss these days so much ,

Excellent thank you.

Brilliant, thank you 😊

Beautiful, Dave.We lived 6 miles out of Bristol. I can remember the knife grinder coming round, the coal being delivered, the "man from the Pru".

OMG I can’t believe that I remember all these things. I grew up in the 50’s and we had to be tough. I remember the chap that used to come down the street with a long pole tapping on people’s bedroom windows to wake them up and the street gas lamp lighter who came every night to light the lamps then every morning to put them out.

My dad was a rag and bone man...started at the age of 14, never bones just the rags, he called himself a totter.. he worked the ilford Wanstead Woodford area, he progressed from pushing a barrow, to having a horse and cart, during the winter he used to sell logs around the Wanstead's area, from that he went on to be a self taught antiques dealer, having several shops, buying one of the houses in Wanstead that he used to deliver logs too !

I remember getting a gold fish of the rag and bone man.

I was born in 1963, in a small mining village in rural Kent, and we had 2 Grocery shops, a separate Post Office/ Newsagents, a Co-Op mini market, a Butchers shop, a Fish and Chip shop, and a Drapers/Wool Shop. Today, only 1 village shop with combined Post Office remains. During any given week in the 60s/70s, we had:- The Milkman (daily). The Bakers Van (daily). The Postman (daily) The Ice cream van (daily during summer). The Corona pop van (when corona was a fizzy drinks brand, not a disease). The R Whites pop van (Mmmm, Cream Soda) The Rag and Bone Horse and Cart. The Peanuts/ Toffee apples van. The Seafood van. (Cockles, winkles, whelks etc) The Wet Fish van. (Cod, Haddock, Plaice etc) The Butchers van. The Fruit and veg van. The Coal mans lorry (Monthly 15cwt of coal, that's 3/4 ton, carried round to the back of the house in sacks, and emptied into your bunker). The Bin lorry (Weekly, they would come to the back of the house, and pick up your galvanised bin onto their shoulders and back out to the road, and then bring the empty bin back to the rear of the property). The Knife/blade sharpener (Monthlyish). The Insurance man (Provident, or Prudential, or Liv Vic) The Pools boy (that was me at 10 years old, delivering the football pools coupons and collecting the money, for the Princely wage of 50p per week). The paper boy/girl (daily). The local poacher, with a couple of rabbits, or pheasants, or ducks. That's a lot of enterprise in such a small village. Then we would call for all of our mates at about 07:30am and go out until it got dark every day (Parents had no idea where we were).😁😁

I remember helping the milk man on his float. Plus walking with the local gas lamp lighter from lamp to lamp on my way home.

Love it.

Great collection!

ANY! OLE! IRON! THANKYOU!

Today they cry if they break a finger nail. How times have changed.it will never return to the days of old.😭

Just subscribed as this vlog brought back so many memories, I was born in 1953 and my dad drove one of those mobile grocery lorries, it was huge and as big as a shop inside, and he knew everyone on every estate where we lived, it had chimes that he played when arriving at different places, and the housewives would queue up to get on and shop, in the school holidays we as kids used to help him and price stamped all the tins, in those days the tins were stamped on the top with the price, I remember playing out in the street with lots of other kids, we would have a really long skipping rope and lines of kids would line up to jump in, and sang rhymes to the beat of the rope turning, "cowboy Joe from Mexico, hands up stick em up, drop your guns and pick em up, o u t spells out," at which point you would exit the rope, the sun always shone, they were happy days and I don't envy today's kids with their computers and games, I think we had a much better time then than they do now, we had loads of friends, I feel sorry for kids today I think they are missing out, we also had the best music growing up too, thanks for this vlog I enjoyed it

Ragbone ,creamstone ,brownstone ,ragbone My grandad was a tatter ,he used to come home. for his dinner ,he would put a nose bag on the pony and leave it outside his house in the street while he had his dinner I don't😂 think the neighbours today would appreciate it . He once brought me home the best pedal racing car in the world ,everybody in my street wanted to be my friend so i would give them ago ,i had it all weekend and was the king of the street ,i came home from school on the monday ,it had gone he sold it for beer money He brought home everything under the sun ,accordions,violins ,big galleons ,beautiful velvet table cloths ,etc He made a fortune but gambled it all away ,he used to have his bed in the kitchen and watched racing on bbc t v ,he used to spit in pieces of old newspapers ,and throw them into the coal fire from his bed ,most never reached the fire and was all over the floor , he had a car like they had in the old films where the machine gunner stood on the platform at the side ,neither he nor his two sons could drive he used to pay someone in the pub to take him to the races. In it The car had a card table in the back ,when i was a child he took me and my friend to chester in it and gave us some money while he went to the races drinking and gambling ,on the way to chester it was hot and we had the back window open and he spir out of the front window and it blew in the back window all over my face

Born in 1952 I remember a lot of these but best of all was the coalman and his horse. The coalman himself would often come in for a cup of tea while the horse, merrily chomping away on his nosebag, would amble along to the next point of call to wait for his 'boss' to catch up!

Wonderful pictures ❤❤❤❤❤

Anyone remember Workers playtime Avril.Angers and Wilfred Pickles on the Radio? Have a go joe? 🙏🙏🙏😅😅😅😅

The 60s was an awful dark time really, nostalgia aside. Beating children and no childline. The power of the church 😱

Yes happy days, it seems like a different country.

The pubs used to spill out onto the pavements Friday and Saturday night in Lewisham, with most singing along to tunes on a piano….then came boring jukeboxes and the end of singalongs.

I had an Ice cream tricycle at age 14 sold Lyons ice cream also had a Tricycle and collected old rags cotton and wool until some one separated the bike from the front carriage. about 1958..

Best time of our lives this country is finished now it’s a shame for our kids and grandchildren

In the days of old, when streets were alive, With the hustle and bustle that made hearts thrive. Milkmen with carts, their jingling bell's call, Coalmen with sacks, their shoulders standing tall. Historymandave, with photos in hand, Captures a world we can scarcely understand. Streets teeming with life, a vibrant display, Of a time now gone, but not swept away. From Bristol's cobbled lanes to London's grand streets, Every corner held stories, every sight a treat. Street traders and entertainers, a lively parade, Their presence a memory that will never fade. The clink of milk bottles, the rattle of coal, Echoes of a time that touched every soul. When neighbors would greet with a smile and a nod, And life moved at a slower, more leisurely prod. Oh, Britain of yore, with your charm and your grace, Your streets were a stage, a bustling embrace. Though times may have changed, and progress may march, The memories linger, like a flame in the dark. So let us pause and remember with fondness untold, The Britain of old, with its stories bold. For in those moments captured in history's span, We find the essence of what makes us human.