NOSTALGIA
WE TURN THE CHRONICLE PAGES OF 65 YEARS AGO
IT was late November 1954. Then, as now, Christmas was less than a month away. Given the ever-tricky task of deciding what presents to buy for the nearest and dearest, several adverts in the Chronicle this week 65 years ago offered up suggestions.
At Newcastle Co-op on Newgate Street, people were invited to shop at the store’s new cosmetic department, the jewellery gift shop, Bookland and Aladdin’s Cave.
Meanwhile, at Howards department store on Clayton Street, we are reminded of a more innocent, pre-digital world. Teddy Bears (22s 6d), toy forts (19s 6d), ‘story books’ (from 2s 6d), and electric train sets (79s 11d) were all advertised. The train set, equivalent to just under £4 in today’s money, would have represented a considerable outlay in 1954.
Meanwhile, there were adverts extolling the benefits of Ribena which allegedly would “build up resistance to colds and flu”. And there was Strand No 1, advertised as “the refreshing cigarette. Large size. Mild. High quality. 3s 9d for 20.”
Before we recall some of the other news, listings, adverts and day-to-day information from the pages of the Chronicle six and a half decades ago, what else was happening in the world?
This was the year shoppers finally said good riddance to food rationing in the United Kingdom; Roger Bannister ran the first sub four-minute mile; JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novel The Lord Of The Rings was published; and Prime Minister Winston Churchill reached the grand old age of 80 while in office (The Chronicle would carry the news this week).
Here in the region, there were films galore showing at the numerous cinemas. Rear Window starring James Stewart was screening at Newcastle Odeon. At the Palladium in Bensham, you could see Rock Hudson in Back To God’s Country. And at the Essoldo in Whitley Bay, The Green Scarf with Michael Redgrave was the main attraction.
On the same page, you could find TV listings. It was the inexorable rise of ‘the telly’ that would eventually help lead to the demise of so many picture halls. To illustrate the point, another Chronicle advert featured ‘the perfect pair for home entertainment’ – a KB radio for £12 and a 14-inch ‘crisp, day-view’ television set for 65 guineas. But back in 1954 there was only one channel. On Thursday, November 25, the highlight of the evening’s viewing was Old Time Dancing with Sydney Thompson’s Band at 9.15pm. Cinemas could rest easy for a little while yet! In the news, the Chronicle’s front page, also from Thursday that week, foreshadowed the environmental concerns so prominent in today’s news agenda. Back in 1954, with industrial Britain working at full throttle, there
Chronicle, 1954
An engineman at Ellington Colliery who stole £370 ‘went on a sevenday tour of the country’