Communal Tap

[johndawsonjune1955]

Lets get another topic going for you all. This should bring memories flooding back.

I will get it started and see the response for not only the older generation, but the younger.

This photograph shows a young girl filling water into a bucket at the communal tap. Do you remember doing this ?

For the youngsters of today, "yes†this was village life. Do you know where it is ? Its in Bedlingtonshire if it helps.

How times have changed. Now it's modern living. A lot of villagers never even had a cooker. Look how heating is now, after a lifetime of shovelling coals onto an open fire, we now have gas, and central heating. No central heating in those days.

Do you have any stories to share, especially with the the younger generation ?.what was it like in those days. What about the communal tap ? There was plenty of gossip whilst villagers waited their turn.

[Brett]

Central heating is over rated anyway

Do you have any stories to share, especially with the the younger generation ?.what was it like in those days. What about the communal tap ? There was plenty of gossip whilst villagers waited their turn.

I was just talking about the last point you made last night with the other half after watching Richard Wilson - On Hold. He highlighted in the show that going to the shops is cherished by peope who can't regularly get out yet people who can get out and about neglect the opportunity to speak to someone.

I remember not being able to get away with anything in the village as by the time I had made it home my mam would have already found out what I had been up to!!! And the news had generally beaten us home by word of mouth rather than a status update.

I often start up conversations with strangers, maybe because i am polite and friendly, maybe because, by speaking to a stranger, you can brighten there day up a bit, maybe i am just barmy and seem to be one of these people that attracts the nutters on a bus. Probably all three I was told that I made someone smile for the first time that day (bearing in mind it was early evening) just by starting a conversation with them whilst waiting at a pedestrian crossing. It was reassuring that it had that effect.

I like it and i don't think there are enough people saying good morning to each other and small talk is welcomed by alot of people, but not the kind where you send messages to each other with the '@' sign before hand or every topic has to begin with a '#' tag.

/rant

[Canny lass]

I also remember the communal taps in Netherton Colliery. They were set into a white tiled alcove in the walls of the back streets. I can't remember how many there were but I would take a guess at one tap to every 6-8 houses. We were quite lucky and lived only 2 doors down from the nearest so we didn't have far to carry our water. In our house, and in many others, it was the job of the children when they came home from school to fill the 2 enamel water-buckets that stood in the scullery. They were very heavy. I remember going with my brother who was one year older than me. Between us we just about managed to carry a full bucket. If either of us went by ourself we had to make several trips with a smaller enamel 'pot', like a very large tea mug and fill the buckets at home. We also used to fetch water for some of the old folks in Third Street. I particularly remember 'Granny Watson' a widow who lived two doors the other side of 'our' tap. She always gave us something when we collected water for her - couple of Rowntrees fruit gums was the usual but one day she didn't have any sweets at home and she gave me and my brother a brass shovel from her companion set! (was it called a companion set - a stand with fire irons hanging on it, usually a shovel, a poker and a pair of tongs?) Helping the elderly and infirm was an accepted thing which none of us questioned. If one of them called you over when you were playing in the street and told you to go a message for them you just did it.

Eventually, I'm not sure exactly when but some time later in the late 50's early 60's, they put cold water into the houses. A couple of families even installed a boiler and a bath at their own expense, the latter under the workbench in the scullery. Others stuck to their zinc bath in front of the fire.

[Symptoms]

Canny wrote: ".... companion set! (was it called a companion set - a stand with fire irons hanging on it, usually a shovel, a poker and a pair of tongs?)"

you forgot the small brush that also formed part of the set. You could get a replacement brush head when the old one was worn out (turned wooden !*!@# with bristles fixed in - the !*!@# had a threaded hole so you could screw it onto the metal brush shaft) at the local store.

I remember my Mum talking about her Dad coming back off nightshift at the pit ... this was during and before WW2 and pre-nationalisation* in 48 ... all dirty with dust. My Granny would fill the boiler, which was part of the cast iron range, from an outside tap; the water would be hot for him coming home during the night. As he filled the tin bath, which he positioned by the range, he'd fry-up some bacon & eggs & bread in a big cast iron frying pan on the open fire. He'd then take his bath.

My Mum used to listen out for the 'clop' of his hob-nailed boots on the path when he came home from work and run down from her bed to meet him ... and to beg for some of the bacon before she'd go back to bed and leave him to it.

*many folks don't realise that it took nationalisation for the conditions for most miners to improve, ie. pit-head baths.

Goodness, even the innocent discription of a turned wooden k.n.o.b. gets scrambled by the Mods!!!!

Edited January 18, 2012 by Symptoms

[johndawsonjune1955]

Well someone was posh "companion set" never saw one until the middle 60's. We couldnt afford one.

What about toilet rolls? never had them either. I remember cutting newspaper up into squares at my granparents and putting a bit string to hold the paper and clipping it in the toilet. Can't remember the name of this can you help ? me mam and dad got a box with scented paper in to use. We were posh with that, better than newspaper. What was it called ?

oh update to the sixtownships website. Barrington Stories,

Stories- mining- choppington- mining death.

[threegee]

*many folks don't realise that it took nationalisation for the conditions for most miners to improve, ie. pit-head baths.

Must have been quite a lot of private houses nationalised too then - the ones that were busily fitting inside bathrooms post-war!

Truth is there was a steady and general improvement in conditions. But food rationing went on far far longer than it should have due the the post-war Labour government, and it wasn't until Churchill was returned to power in 1951 that the country got off its backside and we started to see real recovery. By 1958 Britain had "Never had it so good!" - including the miners! Most people around at the time realised this - except the Labour Party who were still fighting the class war, and amongst themselves. Wasn't until Harold Wilson that Labour started to come to its senses. But, he had one hell of a fight on his hands with the communists in the party, and still went on to plunge the country into another financial crisis. Sound familiar?

There were some short-term benefits from nationalisation, but it soon became a gravy train, and rendered Britain's Industries uncompetitive. The pit closures (and the modernisations) would have happened regardless, but they were more painful under nationalisation because they resulted from a "command economy", and were far less staggered than they would have been had simple competition been the deciding factor. Immediately post-war many Industries did need consolidating, and nationalisation did just that. But, it brought with it a whole raft of other problems.

And.. none of the above is from a book, or a second-hand opinion. I saw it with my own two eyes, and wasn't a member or supporter of any political party then.

[John Fox (foxy)]

Must have been quite a lot of private houses nationalised too then - the ones that were busily fitting inside bathrooms post-war!

Truth is there was a steady and general improvement in conditions. But food rationing went on far far longer than it should have due the the post-war Labour government, and it wasn't until Churchill was returned to power in 1951 that the country got off its backside and we started to see real recovery. By 1958 Britain had "Never had it so good!" - including the miners! Most people around at the time realised this - except the Labour Party who were still fighting the class war, and amongst themselves. Wasn't until Harold Wilson that Labour started to come to its senses. But, he had one hell of a fight on his hands with the communists in the party, and still went on to plunge the country into another financial crisis. Sound familiar?

There were some short-term benefits from nationalisation, but it soon became a gravy train, and rendered Britain's Industries uncompetitive. The pit closures (and the modernisations) would have happened regardless, but they were more painful under nationalisation because they resulted from a "command economy", and were far less staggered than they would have been had simple competition been the deciding factor. Immediately post-war many Industries did need consolidating, and nationalisation did just that. But, it brought with it a whole raft of other problems.

And.. none of the above is from a book, or a second-hand opinion. I saw it with my own two eyes, and wasn't a member or supporter of any political party then.

Correct....

[Malcolm Robinson]

Goodness, even the innocent discription of a turned wooden k.n.o.b. gets scrambled by the Mods!!!!

Not the Mods Symptoms its automatic.

[Brett]

Not the Mods Symptoms its automatic.

I think it's based on the BBC's filter.

[Symptoms]

Since I had my bot spanked by GGG regarding the true picture of the provision of pit-head baths I decided to do a bit of research on the subject. Actually, there's a ton of published information, including Government stuff, info from heritage sources (such as pit museums), NCB Regional data, and so on.

The picture did vary nationwide but the general position was that up until Nationalisation only about a third of the mines had pithead baths; Yorkshire, in 1946, was one of the 'better' areas with 65 (out of a total of 149) pits with baths. Even with the recommendations of a couple of Royal Commissions (1907 & 1919), the Coal Mines Act (1911) only said that baths were to be provided where the employees wanted them. In 1924 the provision of baths became compulsory but the colliery companies dragged their feet. The cost of installing baths was met by the Miners' Welfare Fund (supported by a 1d levy per ton of coal), a contribution from the companies, plus a weekly contribution deducted from each miners wage packet … lots of miners thought it unfair that their pay was being docked to improve the Coal Owners property. Anyway, pithead bath building programme was stopped during WW2 … then we had Nationalisation. Ah, the bright, new future! Even after Nationalisation some pits never got baths – these were the older ones where judgements were made about the economic viability of sticking baths into pits coming to the end of their production.

On the question of folks getting bathrooms retro-fitted into their houses when did the Pit Rows at the Doctor Pit have theirs put in by the NCB or earlier by the coal company? Of course, the massive Council house building programmes of the inter-war years, as well as the rather nice semi-detached stuff going up during this time, included bathrooms, but how urgently did the private landlords (including the coal owners) do this work?

[mickypotts]

As a child living on Hirst terrace in the early 50.s we shared one outside tap and a toilet with 3 other families as well as one outside wash house, each family had its own toilet paper or newspaper and woe betide anyone who used other than their own!! each family had its own wash day and used their own coal to heat the iron wash tub, the clothes roller was made of wood, having to go to the loo in the middle of the night in winter was a challenge to say the least, there was a gas street light just outside our gate that had to be lit each night and put out at first light, never knew if the council or the colliery paid for that? the smell and the taste of the fresh bread that came out of the oven in the cast iron fire place could never be forgotten. I never felt that we were poor back then but having knowt was the same boat everyone was in so it was just the way of life we had...........and Loved

[Keith Scantlebury]

As a child living on Hirst terrace in the early 50.s we shared one outside tap and a toilet with 3 other families as well as one outside wash house, each family had its own toilet paper or newspaper and woe betide anyone who used other than their own!! each family had its own wash day and used their own coal to heat the iron wash tub, the clothes roller was made of wood, having to go to the loo in the middle of the night in winter was a challenge to say the least, there was a gas street light just outside our gate that had to be lit each night and put out at first light, never knew if the council or the colliery paid for that? the smell and the taste of the fresh bread that came out of the oven in the cast iron fire place could never be forgotten. I never felt that we were poor back then but having knowt was the same boat everyone was in so it was just the way of life we had...........and Loved

Exactly Micky, Nobody had nowt, so there was nowt to nick. Those were the days when doors could be left open, no tellys, computers or games consoles. Anybody who was found theiving or damaging property were dealt with properly by the courts (thats if the police got to them first). There were no drug habits to finance (except among the toffs and those who could afford it) and people worked hard for what little luxuries that they did have, or they did without. Some inconsiderate bastard with nothing better to do decided to slash my car tyres last Wednesday (2 of them anyway). Now, it may be that the sad scroat simply gets his/her kicks out of causing misery and added expense to others, I cant recall upsetting anyone lately. My car was the only one in the street done, so it may be that I was unlucky that my car was randomly picked out or someone has got grudge against me. I hope they have been sleeping well in the knowledge that their wilfull vandalism to my property had maximum effect on my family. In order to replace those tyres means we have to do without something else (not necessarrily a luxury) and with the kids being on holiday this week it impacted directly on them. Well done it worked !!! So Mickey, you are right, people were happy enough having nowt, they made the best of it, to have nowt meant that thievery and wanton desctruction of other peoples property was something we did not have to suffer, unless you were stinking rich of course.

[mickypotts]

Thanks Junior, the only time I recall having a crime committed against me was after we moved to Newbiggin and a neighbor stole the battery off my Honda 50, right under my bedroom window in the night, they even put the bolts back in place!! there were only 2 Honda 50,s in the colliery housing area so take your pick, we never even reported the theft I guess he needed his bike to work more than I did!!

[Symptoms]

They did seem to be more innocent (or less cynical) times, perhaps less envy and in a true community sense an 'all in it together' attitude exhibited because they had little (by comparison to today) disposable income. Folks would be more open to sharing and supportive of each other because of the fairly static populations ... extended family groups, old established friendship groups (work & neighbours). I'm sure that I'm not looking back through rose-tinted specs; it was hard but I also have fond memories too. I remember my old Mum saying that when she got married to my Dad (1950) his wage was £5 per week and by the Thursday night (paid on Friday) she only had a penny or two left in her purse.

In the early to mid 60s my total pocket money was 2 shillings & 6 pence (2/6d or half-a-dollar) ... made up of 1/6d from parents, 6d from my Grandad and 6d from my Uncle. Obviously when a bit older this was supplemented with potatoe picking dosh, newspaper round, un-used bus fares, pocketed school diner money. What did others get for their pocket money?

Edited February 17, 2012 by Symptoms