Things you never see nowadays

The man who used to light the gas street light outside my bedroom

A knocker-up! This was even before my time, but my mother used to tell us about the man who went round knocking on bedroom windows to get people up for work. I don't suppose anybody could afford an alarm clock.

Gas mantles - the darned things were always breaking and the flame would spurt out of the hole.

Girls with skipping ropes.

Girls playing 'two balls' against the wall.

Rope swings on lamp-posts.

Children bowling hoops.

Whips and tops.

Mums and grans sitting outside their terraced houses on summer evenings, watching the kids playing street games.

Waiting for the chimney sweep's brush to pop out of the top of the chimney.

Donkey stoned steps.

Women sitting on the upstairs window ledges to clean the outside windows.

Washing lines strung across the streets.

The RAC patrol man on a motor bike who saluted you if you were sporting the membership badge on your car.

Collecting pop bottles, bleach bottles from neighbours to take back to the corner shop. We could collect the 3d deposit that had been paid on them.
Recycling ain't new!!

Kids playing games in the street. Such as hop scotch

Brewery deliveries by horses, aah, lovely.

Buying pop at the door with the 'pop man'.

Shiney brass door wear.

AA boxes

Milk being sold in jugs by someone with a horse and cart.

Until quite recently our local town had a rag and bone man answered to the name of 'Flash' He pushed an 8ft x 4ft contraption around it looked like an oversized supermarket trolley.

As 5th of November will soon be here kids shouting "Penny for the guy".

The man that came round the streets on Sundays selling prawns cockles,winkles etc for Sunday night tea.

The rag and bone man with his wheelbarrow.

Ice cream man with bike and cold box on front, had solid co2 in box to keep ice cream frozen..He would take out a piece and hold it on the bell to make it ring.
. The muffin man and the shrimps and winkles man. They both carried a tray on their head holding the goods
..
The gas lamp lighter man, with his long rod for turning on the gas tap.

The street singer wandering through the streets in Kennington {London)
where we lived. A favourite song was "Just a song at twilight"!

Do you remember any of the "street games" we played?
Knock down Ginger. British bulldog. Cocker roosher. Hi Jimmy nacker one two three. Spinning tops, etc.