Life in 1950s London


Book Description

From austerity to rock ‘n’ roll – the story of a fascinating decade for the world’s greatest city




Life in the 1950s


Book Description

The 1950s began in the shadow of War. In Britain, food was still rationed as the country strove to pay off the huge debts that were the legacy of war. However by the end of the decade, the British had ‘never had it so good’, as prime Minister Harold MacMillan told them. In this book, Mike Brown looks at some of the major aspects of living in Britain at that time of change; how ordinary people lived, worked and played, of the experiences of childhood, and of a new group - teenagers. How did people spend their new-found wealth, what they ate, wore, watched and listened to; the stories and people who made the headlines - Royals, politicians, and stars of music and screen, in an age overshadowed by the Cold War. The book will appeal to those who lived through it, and to those wishing to know more about life for their parents and grand-parents.




Daily Life in 1950s America


Book Description

Placing the era firmly within the American experience, this reference illuminates what daily life was really like in the 1950s, including for people from the "Other America"—those outside the prosperous, white middle class. 'Daily Life in 1950s America shows that the era was anything but uneventful. Apart from revolutionary changes during the decade itself, it was in the 1950s that the seeds took root for the social turmoil of the 1960s and the technological world of today. The book's interdisciplinary format looks at the domestic, economic, intellectual, material, political, recreational, and religious life of average Americans. Readers can look at sections separately according to their interests or classroom assignment, or can read them as an ongoing narrative. By entering the homes of average Americans, far from the corridors of power, we can make sense of the 1950s and see how the headlines of the era translated into their daily lives. This readable and informative book is ideal for anyone interested in this formative decade in American life. Well-researched factual material is presented in an engaging way, along with lively sidebars to humanize each section. It is unique in blending the history, popular culture, and sociology of American daily life, including those of Americans who were not white, middle class, and prosperous.




All Roads Lead Somewhere


Book Description

This is the first part of an autobiographical trilogy. Each follows the experiences of a child from first recollections growing into primary, secondary, and then further full-time education before joining the working population. Part 1 opens mid-way through a high-profile criminal trial taking place during 1994 in central London. As his cross-examination comes to an end the author asks rhetorically "What road did I follow...?" The reader is then transported back to the winter of 1947 when the story properly begins. What follows is an account of the author's developing awareness of his immediate surroundings and parents, moving outwards to the neighbours living in the same house. Steadily, his horizons recede as further family members come into focus by journeys made in and across London. Through the eyes of a growing child, first the nearby streets of north-west, then central London and the far East End are brought to life. Events taking place throughout the 1950s are described, some of which illustrate what it was like to encounter doctors and hospitals during the early years of the National Health Service. In the process he begins to learn that the world is full of dangers, some more serious than others, some requiring a cautious approach. Travelling by one of the workhorse short-range aeroplanes from the expanding London Airport in the late-1950s, with his increasingly modern parents, he spends time discovering the Channel Islands. London's Waterloo and Paddington mainline stations take their places as the grand beginnings of journeys to the Isle of Wight and, yet to come, the far West Country. From Dover, by ferry to Calais, he accompanies his father who joins a group of fellow evening-class students on a week's excursion to a small popular resort town on the north coast of France. Early remembrances of infant and later junior school life tell the story of a simple existence becoming more complicated. Not shying away from unpleasant happenings it also brings out the emotions of liaisons with less desirable characters living in more distant neighbourhoods. There are the highlights of early achievement in sport and drama just as he becomes aware of feelings of affection for the opposite sex, shockingly countered, at the conclusion of the last chapter, by the experience of abuse by an adult stranger. Altogether these are the glimpses of an expanding and enquiring mind infused with exhilaration, risk taking, naivety and comedy.




The Hours Before Dawn


Book Description

In this 1960 Edgar Award-winning thriller, a young housewife with two lively daughters and an endlessly crying baby battles domestic chaos as well as growing suspicions of the household's new lodger.




East London History


Book Description

Discover the places, the people and the history of East London. Professionally researched guide book telling the real story of the East End. We have many perceptions of the East End of London in Great Britain. This has, historically, been one of the poorest areas of London but it is also the hub of much of the city's profits and industry. London's East End is situated, unsurprisingly enough, in the eastern side of the city. Often ignored by tourists who clamour for the glamour of the West End, this area is actually steeped in history with interesting things to see and do. Read about East London's role in WW2 and also the tragedies of WW1 that occurred in the area. East London is relatively quiet in tourist terms so makes a great day out if you want some downtime. Home of the traditional Londoner, the Cockney, today's East End is a melting pot of different cultures. Yes, some of your preconceptions about the area are probably true. You can still buy jellied eels and pie and mash from traditional shops. Locals born within the sound of Bow Bells still qualify as being Cockneys and rhyming slang is not quite brown bread yet. About the author: I grew up on the Essex fringes of London's true East End and have been fascinated by the ever-changing history and landscape of the area. Visitors and tourists to London may only ever explore the City centre but for those that care to travel further east, a rich and rewarding travel adventure awaits. So much of London's history owes a debt to the East End. Colourful characters, famous architecture, hidden treasures of changing life over the years.




1950s Childhood


Book Description

Children of the 1950s have much to look back on with fondness: Muffin the Mule, Andy Pandy, and Dennis the Menace became part of the family for many, while for others the freedom of the riverbank or railway platform was a haven away from the watchful eyes of parents. The postwar welfare state offered free orange juice, milk and healthcare, and there was lots to do, whether football in the street, a double bill at the cinema, a game of Ludo or a spot of roller-skating. But there were also hardships: wartime rationing persisted into the '50s, a trip to the dentist was a painful ordeal, and at school discipline was harsh and the Eleven-Plus exam was a formidable milestone. Janet Shepherd and John Shepherd examine what it was like to grow up part of the Baby Boomer generation, showing what life was like at home and at school and introducing a new phenomenon – the teenager.




British Cinema of the 1950s


Book Description

In this definitive and long-awaited history of 1950s British cinema, Sue Harper and Vincent Porter draw extensively on previously unknown archive material to chart the growing rejection of post-war deference by both film-makers and cinema audiences. Competition from television and successive changes in government policy all forced the production industry to become more market-sensitive. The films produced by Rank and Ealing, many of which harked back to wartime structures of feeling, were challenged by those backed by Anglo-Amalgamated and Hammer. The latter knew how to address the rebellious feelings and growing sexual discontents of a new generation of consumers. Even the British Board of Film Censors had to adopt a more liberal attitude. The collapse of the studio system also meant that the screenwriters and the art directors had to cede creative control to a new generation of independent producers and film directors. Harper and Porter explore the effects of these social, cultural, industrial, and economic changes on 1950s British cinema.




1950s Childhood


Book Description

Children of the 1950s have much to look back on with fondness: Muffin the Mule, Andy Pandy, and Dennis the Menace became part of the family for many, while for others the freedom of the riverbank or railway platform was a haven away from the watchful eyes of parents. The postwar welfare state offered free orange juice, milk and healthcare, and there was lots to do, whether football in the street, a double bill at the cinema, a game of Ludo or a spot of roller-skating. But there were also hardships: wartime rationing persisted into the '50s, a trip to the dentist was a painful ordeal, and at school discipline was harsh and the Eleven-Plus exam was a formidable milestone. Janet Shepherd and John Shepherd examine what it was like to grow up part of the Baby Boomer generation, showing what life was like at home and at school and introducing a new phenomenon – the teenager.




The 1950s


Book Description

How did social, cultural and political events in Britain during the 1950s shape modern British fiction? As Britain emerged from the shadow of war into the new decade of the 1950s, the seeds of profound social change were being sown. Exploring the full range of fiction in the 1950s, this volume surveys the ways in which these changes were reflected in British culture. Chapters cover the rise of the 'Angry Young Men', an emerging youth culture and vivid new voices from immigrant and feminist writers. A major critical re-evaluation of the decade, the book covers such writers as Margery Allingham, Kingsley Amis, E. R. Braithwaite, Rodney Garland, Martyn Goff, Attia Hosain, George Lamming, Marghanita Laski, Doris Lessing, Colin MacInnes, Naomi Mitchison, V. S. Naipaul, Barbara Pym, Mary Renault, Sam Selvon, Alan Sillitoe, John Sommerfield, Muriel Spark, J. R. R. Tolkien, Angus Wilson and John Wyndham.