Remember when people used to go "visiting"

My great aunt lived next door to us. Her son J was 15 years older than me. When J married in ‘66, he and his wife came every Saturday afternoon (just to watch tv and have tea) for years - even after their children arrived.
I married in ‘72, but they still continued to visit, although not always weekly.
I’ll always remember at my GAunt’s funeral that they both said how they regretted visiting every Saturday and how much of their own family time they’d missed out on, but being an only child, J had felt unable to speak out.

As a child I was sent to play with the dog when my mother and one of her chums were going to talk about grown up secrets. My mother and her chum wanted to marry this chum's daughter to my big brother. It did not happen.
Another of my mother's chums was one of my favourite people and I liked visiting her house after Friday school was over. She told real things some of them sad and romantic, about what her life had been. She also made spam and chips for tea which in days of rationing was a treat.

'Visiting' wasn't a regular thing when I was a child, probably because we didn't have a car, but when we did, it was usually just my mum and I and we'd get the bus into Edinburgh to visit a couple of 'aunties' (who weren't actually blood relatives, but just friends of hers). I was always warned to be on my best behaviour - children should be seen and not heard was very much her view, and we'd always take something with us, just as biscuits. I do remember going with one of those aunties in her car to visit some distant relatives at their farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. I loved getting to see all the animals, but when teatime came, it was tongue sandwiches and I hated tongue! My mother instantly shot me 'that look' - don't you dare show me up - so I remember trying to force them down and not be sick on the journey home.

We enjoyed visiting the Aunties and Uncles,one used to give us socks and put polish on her hall floor so we could slide on it and they all slipped us a half crown when we were leaving .One Aunty lived opposite a huge hospital and from her 4th floor window we could see into the operating theatre not anything distressing just doctors and nurses in masks and. Caps and gowns scurrying about ….we were al fascinated by it.None of my Aunts had kids so we were spoiled

We used to go to granny's house for tea on a Sunday which consisted of salad, cheese, ham, cucumber, tomatoes, salad cream, and for afters, tinned peaches and condensed milk or strawberries summer.

We didnt visit but we did have a Sunday afternoon drive in the countryside in SE Kent. We lived by the sea so it was a treat to drive to the pretty little villages in the surrounding area of Canterbury. Dad had a "box" Austin car which we squeezed into and he would crank to start it up.

Talking about picnics to DH this morning as today was the sort of day which started cloudy, but then the sun burnt off the mistiness. And we would go to the beach with a packed picnic. Bread and butter. Hard boiled egg and tomato. A Dairylea cheese triangle. A packet of crisps. A bottle of very diluted orange squash. A Penguin or Kit Kat. All very easily done and easily eaten. No beach BBQs etc like today.

Simple times, but how much I miss them. Relations would come and stay in the summer amd off to the beach with a tray of tea from the beach cafe for the grownups and ice creams for all the children.
The excitement of finding a coin in the sand be it half a crown or even a sixpence or threepenny bit.

Yes Sundays were days for visiting or having visitors when I was a child. Otherwise it was a day for going for 'a drive'. Kids didn't play out or call for each other and everyone had a 'Sunday best' outfit.
Different times.

We visited every Sunday unless it was our turn for a visit. Sunday tea was always supplied, ham or salmon salad, bread and butter, homemade cakes. Visits were to our relatives. One auntie had a farm and that was my favourite. Dad would take me to see all the animals.

My father often took me to see my Nana on a weekend or sometimes on a Friday night because he finished work a bit earlier. My Nana lived with his favourite sister and my auntie was a fabulous cook and me and my cousin were just under two years apart and saw each other a lot in my childhood ( other cousins and family would visit as well my aunties house was the “hub” for everyone. I would stay there for days in the school holidays and me and my cousin slept on a huge feather bed together and my auntie would come in when she went to bed and tell us off for giggling and not going to sleep!!

Auntie made everything homemade bread, cake, and her own brawn for sandwiches which was out of this world. I haven’t eaten it for years but can still taste it!

Our London grandparents visited every month or two, other grandparents were within a mile and we saw them most days.

We visited our London grandparents less often than they came to us. I suppose my parents, with very many children, disliked the trip to London.

London gram was quite proper and complained of noise, papa was opposite to her, he was happy playing with us - away from his work.

What lovely memories. I have so enjoyed reading them, wishing I had memories like that.
My paternal grandparents had died by the time I was three, so no memories. My DM didn't get on with her father or stepmother, who were well-off but mean, and had refused to let her go to university (she did go in her 40s).
When we went to see them, my sisters and I felt quite intimidated, as if we were being inspected. Fuller's rum and walnut cake was served for tea and one of us was always sick in the car on the way home.
My parents were friends with a lovely family who had a farm. We did visit them, and they were very generous with things that were rationed, like eggs and butter.

My favourite visitor as a young child in the 60s was my Mum’s cousin. She lived about 50 miles away and without prior notice would just turn up on our doorstep with her overnight bag. My Mum was always delighted to see her and gave her a lovely welcome. She’d stay for a couple of days.

She was profoundly deaf since a bout of bacterial meningitis as a toddler and used sign language. I was fascinated by her. My Mum would take a writing pad from the drawer and the question and answer session would go on for hours with the paper and pen being passed between them with excitement and laughter. I loved it when she included me in the written chat and asked me a few questions and waited patiently while I composed my replies.

Sundays were really given over to church and Sunday school in the 1950’s and 60’s. My mother found herself cooking lunch for the visiting preacher and at tea time various aunts appeared, one always bought her own banana with her and celery was expected. None of these visitors had a car and I guess they all needed feeding before making their journeys home.

Maime......bridge rolls....I remember those filled with egg and cress. Haven't seen them for years can you even get them still. Lovely soft little rolls , we had them at Christmas and for birthdays.

oh yes ..I was born 1945, and sunday was always the day for either visiting the aunties...or them visiting us....we always had to go by bus, I usually hated it , I'd much rather have stayed at home and played with my friends.....as another poster said...there were no phones for most people then ,how were the visits arranged

travelsafar

Maime......bridge rolls....I remember those filled with egg and cress. Haven't seen them for years can you even get them still. Lovely soft little rolls , we had them at Christmas and for birthdays.

Are bridge rolls the same as finger rolls? I found some of them in our local Tesco a few weeks ago and made them up with various fillings to take away for lunch in our motorhome. They went down a treat with my GS!

Yes I remember the Sunday afternoon visits and the usual 'Sunday Tea' with affection. Sunday afternoon is still time spent with our family as they are always busy during the week.

We used to have to do the weekly sunday afternoon visit to an elderly aunt and uncle on a sunday afternoon.
The village (now a town) always seemed to me to be stuck in the 40s not the 70s.
Always sat in dineing room with the weekly fruit cakes she made.Me and my two younger sisters sat like angels .i was a teenager.
We sat looking at the painting of a spanish dancer in a red dress.
Before we left out came a bag of clothes (some smelling of mothballs).
These clothes came from the weekly jumble sale my aunt went to every saturday.always for me.
I had to thank her and always refused to wear any when we got home.
Before we left it was a weekly walk down my uncles long back garden to look at the flowers. To be honest never looked any different to the week before in the summer.
I always remember the loo roll with a knitted pink lady cover.
.

I was brought up in East Anglia and I remember Sunday visiting.
An uncle and aunt would come in their car but other family or friends cycled. We some times cycled to them, when very young I would be on a seat attached to my mum or dads bike.

My parents were publicans and restaurant owners, Sunday were busy, family came to us, but mostly I spent weekends with my Grandparents.

I am in North East and born 1944.I can remember Sunday visiting very well. It was always with our maternal grandparents our parents hardly ever took us visiting, mostly because my dad was nearly always working on a Sunday, if not at work he was in the pub.
My grandma and Granda seemed to have loads of relatives all living a bus ride away and they would often take me or one of my sisters visiting with them.My grandma would alway play a joke when visiting one of her cousins, she would bang on their front door and shout ''Rent'' through the letter box, and wait for the following silence in the house, then shout ''It is only me'' before the door would be opened by a relieved looking occupant!.The tea was always what we called a good spread, ham sandwiches ( why was it always ham) cake scones etc.We would have to sit in silence while the adults talked as it was rude to interrupt.When we visited my great aunt, grandma's sister, my granda would take us for a walk while she and grandma talked, I later found out the reason for this- she and my granda did not get on and he only went out of duty.
Some of these relatives thought themselves rather ''posh''.When we went to their house the lady relative would take my grandma with my sister and myself to her bedroom so we could lay our coats neatly on her bed then tidy our hair etc before going downstairs.
My grandparents would always return this hospitality by inviting the same relatives back to their house for Sunday tea.
Lovely childhood memories.

visits were a mix of both; as no phone I guess things were arranged by letter. sometimes it was to my uncle who lived quite way away who owned a public house. we would drive up to visit with granny it would entail a meal then mum and dad would take me for a walk so granny could have quality time with her son then back for a goodbye and home.
we also had some friends of mum and dads who took it in turn to host a monthly supper; sandwiches home made pickled onions salads gateauxs etc usual nibbles. when we got there it would be a lot of chat sometimes me and my sister went with their kids to a playground nearby. then often in winter it was a slide show of the latest snaps then supper with a chat about the latest to die! then usually whoever was hosting their kids would go to bed and the other kids would curl up and sleep on sofa with all the adults chatting until literally often 3 or 4 in the morning then often driving home at dawn!
there was also the usual visiting times; granny sunday morning, my auntie one evening she lived in the same road but never just pop in just one allotted evening. on sunday evening dads brother and sil came along for a chat we would be having baths for school and i always remember they bought me a chocolate biscuit!
my other mum and dads friends lived in same road they came several evenings a week but only after an organised meet when they met in the street.
it was customary to bring something usually produce from the garden, flowers also from the garden, biscuits etc its something i like to do too

When I was a child we often visited my Aunt and Uncle who lived about 5 miles away. They lived in a tiny village in a small cottage and it was like stepping back in time even then.

They had just one daughter who they idolised but she went to live in America as a bride so they loved to see us kids. They always had a fire roaring all year round with a huge kettle on the coals. They had pianola which I was allowed to try and play. They lived beside a small village green with a market cross and if we went outside to play other kids would appear and stare at us!

Their house was filled with interesting things so we were never bored and my Dad used to say you got the best cup of tea there because myAuntie’s teapot was a big old one with a brown interior. Happy memories

Yes - it was very much the think in our family. Many great aunts and uncles to visit, plus aunts and uncles sometimes too - although we saw them more day to day. Not something I ever did when mine were children and I'm a bit sad for that sometimes. Do still visit parents and siblings quite a lot though.

Yes! We did this too. It was usually my gran's who lived about 60 miles away or my aunt's or good friends of mum and dad...