Posted on 08/02/2025 8:59:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The 60s were when life burst into colour for many people after the drab 50s.
The music, the fashion and the newfound freedom, for some at least, made it a great decade in which to grow up.
Wartime austerity was finally coming to an end and more and more households were able to afford time-saving mod-cons.
But no era is perfect and the 60s certainly had their flaws.
Below are nine things you almost certainly don’t miss about the 1960s if you grew up then.
1. Waking up to ice on the inside of your windows
At the start of the 60s, only around 5% of homes in the UK had central heating, and that figure was still down at 30% by the end of the decade. Lots of people remember waking up to find frost on the inside of their windows.
2. Running out of coins for the TV
In the 1960s, many households rented their TV and they were coin operated, which meant that if you ran out of money you risked missing your favourite show that day. One person recalled how their grandparents had a slot TV and when someone came to collect the rent each month whatever was in the box would be taken out of what they owed.
3. Squeezing into a bubble car
The bubble car, as it was dubbed, was launched in the 1950s but remained a popular vehicle in the early 60s, even with the advent of the Mini. The BMW Isetta had a tiny engine, a top speed of just 53mph and painfully slow acceleration, with early models taking half a minute to reach just 30mph. But the fuel economy was great and it was like no other car, with a single door at the front, containing the steering wheel and instrument panel, swinging open for access. There was supposedly space for two adults and a small child, in the days before road safety was a thing, but as you can see that was a bit of a squash.
4. Sharing a party line
It may sound fun but the party line was a way of saving money by sharing a telephone line with other people. Only one person could use the line at a time so you often had to wait for the line to be free. You could also listen in to another person's call if you were nosy, which wasn't uncommon, it seems. The Kinks memorably sang about the experience in their classic song, Party Line, which includes the lyrics 'wish I had a more direct connection'.
5. 'Tracing paper' loo roll
If you went to school in the 60s, you'll likely recall how the loo roll was not at all kind to your bum. The shiny, rough, non-absorbent toilet paper used in many school toilets was the antiseptic Izal loo roll, which most pupils back then dreaded using. It was widely known by children of that generation as 'tracing paper' loo roll and the very mention of it is enough to send a shudder up the spine of those who remember using the stuff. One person called it a 'crime against humanity' and another said 'whoever invented it should be punished'.
6. Waiting for the launch of Radio Caroline
The 60s are widely recognised as the best decade for music, with the explosion of rock 'n' roll, and the arrival of great bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But it took a while for DJs to give the public what they wanted, with Radio 2 reportedly rationing listeners to just three hours of rock 'n' roll a week in the early 60s as part of a rather traditional, conservative playlist. Thank heavens then for Radio Caroline, the pirate station which shook things up when it launched in 1964 - doing so from a ship off the British coast, to circumvent broadcasting laws. Such was the demand that within weeks of hitting the air it was reportedly attracting around 7 million listeners. Tony Blackburn, Johnnie Walker and Dave Lee Travis were among the big name DJs who started out aboard Radio Caroline before moving to the BBC.
7. Ghastly paisley shirts
The 1960s were a golden age for fashion, full of colourful, flamboyant design classics, from flared trousers to the mini-skirt. But the decade was not without sartorial sin - the popularity of paisley shirts being a case in point. Two of the biggest offenders, it seems, were the pop duo Sonny and Cher.
8. The smell of boiled cabbage
School dinners in the 60s were a stodgy affair, with potatoes and pastry featuring prominently. The smell of boiled cabbage hung heavy in the air, and most pupils dreaded seeing spam fritters on the menu again. Some desserts were more popular than others, with the skin on a wobbly blancmange, and 'frogspawn' tapioca pudding turning many children's stomachs.
9. Needing a degree to work out your change
It wasn't until 1971 that the UK switched to decimal currency, with people still paying in pounds, shillings and pence during the 60s. That meant children grew up knowing their 12 times table, with 12 pence to the shilling, but it could still be confusing when it came to calculating your change at the checkout. Of course, people were used to it back then, and when the switch came in the 70s many people found that even more confusing at first.
Coin operated TV? How many shows are even worth paying for?
I rather liked my paisley shirts.
I don’t mind them. Better than British boiled cabbage.
In 1963 you could buy Haggis on a bun and a coke for only 20 pence.
Of course no one did.
I agree with “party lines”.
I would add:
_black and white TV.
_floor furnaces.
We shared a party line in the 1950s, and when we got our first private line in 1960, we rejoiced. However, I don’t know which is worse—the party lines of the 50s or the voicemail of today.
> Coin operated TV? How many shows are even worth paying for? <
That might have something to do with the UK’s idiotic TV licensing fee. Even today you’ve got buy a license if you want to watch TV. It’s £174.50 per year for a color TV and £58.50 for a black and white TV.
And they actually have detection vans driving around, trying to catch naughty unlicensed TV watchers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_detector_van
We had central heat as most people did. However our house was extremely drafty. And my father kept the thermostat at 60. No wonder we all dreaded taking a bath all winter.
And my cousins’ family farm house had central heat on the main floor, but only an opening in the main floor ceiling with a grate on the floor above. The heat was supposed to eek its way through to the bedrooms above. I recall staying over several times when there was frost on the inside of the windows. They eventually got electric blankets for everyone to make it bearable.
This was in rural Iowa in the 60s
They left out many things, such as THE TEDDY BOYS (okay, that was a late '50s thing, but was also very much around in the early 1960s there! ) and "THE SWINGING '60S" was a mid to late 1960's thing.
But this paper is from Scotland, NOT England, so some things were probably a bit different there, even though both are in the UK.
That’s just to watch programs on the BBC, which is no longer a channel wort a bucket or warm spit even.
LOL...”Ghastly paisley shirts”
I had a gorgeous green paisley shirt I really liked. I met a young lass in Chile when I was working there in 1977 and she invited me to visit her in Zermatt, Switzerland where her parents lived. I managed to go there after a job in Sardinia. They treated me to a wonderful home-cooked mean and I dressed up for the occasion with — you guess it — my gorgeous green paisley shirt.
It was so bad that she made fun of me wearing it! I’m still scarred to this day by that fashion faux pas. Ah the same dinner, I also cut the big chunk of salad lettuce with my knife and fork. I got upbraided for doing that, too. She showed me how you do it the Swiss way — you just cram the huge chunk of lettuce into your mouth.
That relationship died that evening!
Love Alton Brown’s recipe for haggis in the Food Network site. The last line: “Serve it with mashed potatoes, if you serve it at all”
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/haggis-recipe-1911083.amp
Did you have a ducktail hairdo?
I had a nice purple/blue paisley shirt, but some wackoo ripped it.
Must be some limey thing?
My folks still kvetch about the threat of nuclear annihilation, and the Viet Nam war. Apparently everything else was ideal.
Remember the 70’s?
Those 6” wide collared wild patterned polyester weave disco shirts with the 3” solid colored stretch fabric bottom?
That ended just above the belly button?
For Men?
Nothing in the 60s was nearly as horrible as that!
He’ll no; I was a Preppy, not a greaser! 😂
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