Remember the heatwave of 1976?

Oopsadaisy1

Wearing jumpers and cardigans though and brown shoes?

Well, I certainly wasn't! Not that my photo hit the papers

Wearing jumpers and cardigans though and brown shoes?

The one day it rained, the 19th June, our wedding day. When we returned to our new house after honeymoon the front turf had gone brown and there was a hosepipe ban. I had a twin tub then and bucketed every drop of water out onto the lawn.

I wouldn’t describe them as wearing winter clothing. Short sleeves for the most part, but times were harder for most of us then and women - especially of a certain age - would have had less in the way of summer clothing. Summer dresses would not have been worn for housework, for instance, and filling buckets at a stand pipe counted as housework.

Chestnut odd that the ladies at the standpipe all have winter clothes on?

I had a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old and we spent most days in the garden, so I’m wondering if the heat either wasn’t so fierce or it just wasn’t as hot.

They arrived with all the gear to erect a standpipe at the end of our road and that afternoon and night it rained so they didn’t bother to do it.

I remember dancing with the children in the garden the first time it rained after the long dry weeks.

Franbern

Do wonder at posters on here talking about paddling pools for their children during summer 1976. My memory is that these were strictly banned under the water regulations. Unless they were filling them with used bath water or washing up water.

I don't think the ban came in straight away but obviously we wouldn't have used them after! - and the water was used afterwards to water tomatoes, beans etc.
Every drop of washing up water was used on the vegetables and bath water was rationed to a few inches.

DD was washed off with soap in her paddling pool anyway. New baby was bathed in the sink.

Do wonder at posters on here talking about paddling pools for their children during summer 1976. My memory is that these were strictly banned under the water regulations. Unless they were filling them with used bath water or washing up water.

Just watched the programme again. They said we had 45 days with no rain and the heat lasted 10 weeks. Started 23 June with high pressure and temperatures over 30 degrees. Hottest summer in three centuries. There were 15 days over 30 degrees and the hottest day was Cheltenham at 35.9C on 3rd July.

However, I have to add there were some boiling hot days 5th to 7th June as I said in my diary!

At home with an 18 month old we sort of carried on with adjustments. Grey water kept the garden going. A paddling pool kept our son and my feet happy. Hats were worn. A financially tight time I had one lightweight summer dress. It was washed a lot . I suspect I coped better with heat back then.

I was at home with 2 small children, we had a large garden and the children spent every minute outside. I was having problems with my husband (and his girlfriend of the time! ) so I took the children to say for six weeks with his lovely mum who lived near the sea, had a lovely time.

Another here who gave birth in June 1976. My daughter weighed 9lbs 14oz and I was huge.
I remember all the babies in the nursery at the hospital only had towelling nappies on to try and keep them cool.

My son had a nude 2nd Birthday Party. We invited twin girls and he painted them all over with Galt play paint ??? I must remind him !

It didn’t seem all that hot to me, because we were visiting from Abu Dhabi, where it was a hell of a lot hotter.
But I do remember the ‘green and pleasant’ having turned brown and looking decidedly un-English.

My two boys were 6 and 4, younger one at nursery.The nursery had a huge garden at the back and the children ran round it in the sun. Sometimes they got the paddling pool out and the children were in and out of it and the staff let them remove their clothes as always wet.We would go to pick them up and they were all stark naked, imagine that being allowed now.
In the school holidays we spent a lot of time on the beach.I was working night duty as a nurse my husband managed to get alternate days to me so we had no worry about childcare.
The hot weather seemed to last for ever, then in early September the rains came down, and my lovely grandfather died.

Ps we didn't live in that cottage!
They are very eco-friendly in Modbury - the first town to ban plastic bags. I have a Modbury cotton bag, bought years ago.

Hellogirl1

We worked all through that long, hot summer, then went on holiday in September to S.Devon. On the way down, we were travelling through, I think, the village of Modbury, and there was a cottage down a pretty lane that had been painted black all over. Printed in large white letters on the side it said that this had been done as a punishment to the householders for wasting water in the heatwave. I still haven`t come across anyone else who remembers this. On the Thursday lunchtime, we were sitting on the beach at Thurlestone when the sun suddenly disappeared and the heavens opened, oh boy, did it rain! And all day Friday as well, but when we were settying off for home on Saturday the sun came out again.

I don't remember that although we lived nearby but perhaps I didn't go very far with a toddler and new baby!

Goodness, I remember it being long but not that long and here we are with all this fuss being made over a heatwave that's going to last a few days.

PamelaJ1

I had a toddler and she ‘helped’ me water the garden with the bath water. Luckily our bathroom was downstairs.
I do remember wondering what the fuss was about. I grew up in HK where ,not only was it hot but also humid.

Oh yes, I remember the sweet little watering cans with a flower for a spout and DD used the paddling pool water to water the garden.

I had a toddler and she ‘helped’ me water the garden with the bath water. Luckily our bathroom was downstairs.
I do remember wondering what the fuss was about. I grew up in HK where ,not only was it hot but also humid.

I remember my poor mother sitting at the kitchen table in her bra and petticoat, looking like a wilted flower. She was probably menopausal and feeling the heat badly. ?

We had just moved house and found that our garden had a vast number of stones. Armed with a garden riddle I spent that summer sieving and filling container after container with stones. I ended up with a great tan and a stone free garden!

Smileless2012

So judging by the posts on this thread, the 1976 heat wave lasted for a few weeks, that's how I remember it.

It lasted months. April until September and there was a long hot summer the previous year too. I’ve very happy memories of ‘75 and ‘76, and when we have lovely summer weather it makes me feel good remembering these. ‘Bliss it was that dawn to be alive, to be young was very heaven’

Smileless2012 I think the programme says how long it lasted, I think it was 40 days, although I wrote in my pocket diary it was scorching from 5th June and then got cooler 9th July. But then I think it got hot again in August. Not sure of exact dates, will have to watch the programme again.

We worked all through that long, hot summer, then went on holiday in September to S.Devon. On the way down, we were travelling through, I think, the village of Modbury, and there was a cottage down a pretty lane that had been painted black all over. Printed in large white letters on the side it said that this had been done as a punishment to the householders for wasting water in the heatwave. I still haven`t come across anyone else who remembers this. On the Thursday lunchtime, we were sitting on the beach at Thurlestone when the sun suddenly disappeared and the heavens opened, oh boy, did it rain! And all day Friday as well, but when we were settying off for home on Saturday the sun came out again.

I was pregnant and had shingles. I remember the water standpipes and the earth being cracked.

I am suffering more today, I think it is an age thing.