Came across this while browsing this morning. UK kitchens of the period would not have been that much different, although I think ours would have had a washing machine in preference to a fridge
Al
Al
Australian Kitchen Design Early 1950
- Thread starter vacbear58
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Lovely gem!
Reminds me of the American movie "Step-saving kitchen".
Reminds me of the American movie "Step-saving kitchen".
whirlcool
Well-known member
That Aussie kitchen doesn't look that much different that we had here in the U.S. in the mid 50's. The film sounds like it was being narrated by the Queen the accent seemed more British than Australian.
I've always wondered about those power outlets in Australia. They have the switch right next to the outlet. I imagine it's some kind of safety feature?
I've heard quite a few people say that living in Australia is kind of like living in California.
Thanks for showing us that video!
I've always wondered about those power outlets in Australia. They have the switch right next to the outlet. I imagine it's some kind of safety feature?
I've heard quite a few people say that living in Australia is kind of like living in California.
Thanks for showing us that video!
power outlets (we call them power points) in Australia always have a switch. Some are designed better than others - some brands have the switch offset from the socket, others, even some new ones today, have the switch directly over the outlet, meaning some large plugs block access to the switch.
Yes, it's for safety.
That kitchen reminds me a little of my parents' kitchen when I was a little kid. They built their house in 1960 and tried to have plenty of clever features in the kitchen. (dad was a carpenter). Some cupboards were hinged along the bottom edge and pulled out to reveal a flour bin or a sugar bin with a scoop. Of course these storage bins didn't seal, so pests could get in easily. They were removed in the first kitchen renovation. Also the first kitchen had pushbutton latches fitted in the mid 1960s to each door, as I was notorious for getting into the sink cupboard and drinking the detergent and being rushed to hospital.
My Mum tells the story of going to Nancarrow's supermarket and asking for Model brand detergent. The assistant said "we don't carry that stuff, it's is so weak you could drink it." Mum's reply was "yes, that's why I want it..."
As you can imagine in a carpenter's house, renovation was a constant state, not an occasional event. I can think of four kitchens in that place over time. They only moved out 2 years ago, to a retirement village.
the "sandwich preparation" board in the video - think of the crumbs getting back into the cupboard Yuk!
Note early on the ceramic electric jug (kettle) - I still have one of those, though mine is a 1970s model with auto shut off and a bright orange lid. In these the element is a spiral of wire in the water, the water makes full electrical contact with the element. Though no longer available new, these ceramic electric jugs are still popular in some areas of Aus as the element is cheap and easy to replace - a good idea in areas with very high mineral content in the water, which kills regular(enclosed) kettle elements in a few months.
Yes, it's for safety.
That kitchen reminds me a little of my parents' kitchen when I was a little kid. They built their house in 1960 and tried to have plenty of clever features in the kitchen. (dad was a carpenter). Some cupboards were hinged along the bottom edge and pulled out to reveal a flour bin or a sugar bin with a scoop. Of course these storage bins didn't seal, so pests could get in easily. They were removed in the first kitchen renovation. Also the first kitchen had pushbutton latches fitted in the mid 1960s to each door, as I was notorious for getting into the sink cupboard and drinking the detergent and being rushed to hospital.
My Mum tells the story of going to Nancarrow's supermarket and asking for Model brand detergent. The assistant said "we don't carry that stuff, it's is so weak you could drink it." Mum's reply was "yes, that's why I want it..."
As you can imagine in a carpenter's house, renovation was a constant state, not an occasional event. I can think of four kitchens in that place over time. They only moved out 2 years ago, to a retirement village.
the "sandwich preparation" board in the video - think of the crumbs getting back into the cupboard Yuk!
Note early on the ceramic electric jug (kettle) - I still have one of those, though mine is a 1970s model with auto shut off and a bright orange lid. In these the element is a spiral of wire in the water, the water makes full electrical contact with the element. Though no longer available new, these ceramic electric jugs are still popular in some areas of Aus as the element is cheap and easy to replace - a good idea in areas with very high mineral content in the water, which kills regular(enclosed) kettle elements in a few months.
jerrod6
Well-known member
I watched a few minutes of the video and suddenly became tired. This is just too organized and too much work. They are moving too fast for 7am and what, we have to have a new table cloth every day? We sit down to make sandwiches - actually not a bad idea.
I guess there were no mice, ants or dreaded roaches then, what with the bread being taken out of the lower cabinet unwrapped.
Nice that the father had a mustache; whatever happened to them....but all he did was fall down in the chair and read the paper.
Uhh I'm exhausted.
Thanks for the vid!
I guess there were no mice, ants or dreaded roaches then, what with the bread being taken out of the lower cabinet unwrapped.
Nice that the father had a mustache; whatever happened to them....but all he did was fall down in the chair and read the paper.
Uhh I'm exhausted.
Thanks for the vid!
passatdoc
Well-known member
narrator's speech pattern
The narrator does sound eerily like HM The Queen <span style="text-decoration: underline;">today</span>, who is also HM The Queen of Australia (and Queen I believe of four of the states* of Australia, for good measure). The narrator's not speaking standard Received Pronunciation, nor is she serving up a heavy dose of "Strine". Perhaps the narrator was UK-born, but had lived in Australia a long time, so that her diction was neither purely RP nor purely Strine. However, she does not speak the way Queen Elizabeth did in the 1950s (severely cut glass, see below).
The UK paper The Telegraph did a multimedia report on the evolution of the Queen's speech over the decades. They offered audio recordings of speeches from each decade of her reign, and if you played them in sequential order, you could hear the transformation from "cut glass" to generic London-style RP, to where she now sounds like an upper middle class housewife on her way to Sainsburys for a little marketing.
This is to be expected when you consider that she was "educated at home", never attended a school as we know it, and did not have significant exposure to non-Royals until she took up military training in WW2. Then, have spent 60+ years in public royal life, she has been exposed to and interacted with subjects from all walks of life (and diction). It was bound to happen as her interaction with various social classes increased as part of her "job".
*During the republic referendum in Australia in the late 1990s, it was my understanding that even if Australia became a republic and replaced its Governor-General with a President, the Queen was still legally Queen of four of the Australian states (as a result of the law or constitution in those states). Consequently, the republic referendum, if passed, would have had no effect on her status as Queen of those four states. I don't remember which were the four states, but I seem to recall that QLD and VIC were two of the ones in which she is Queen of the state, and that NSW did NOT have her as Queen. Wouldn't surprise me if SA and WA have her as Queen as well.
The narrator does sound eerily like HM The Queen <span style="text-decoration: underline;">today</span>, who is also HM The Queen of Australia (and Queen I believe of four of the states* of Australia, for good measure). The narrator's not speaking standard Received Pronunciation, nor is she serving up a heavy dose of "Strine". Perhaps the narrator was UK-born, but had lived in Australia a long time, so that her diction was neither purely RP nor purely Strine. However, she does not speak the way Queen Elizabeth did in the 1950s (severely cut glass, see below).
The UK paper The Telegraph did a multimedia report on the evolution of the Queen's speech over the decades. They offered audio recordings of speeches from each decade of her reign, and if you played them in sequential order, you could hear the transformation from "cut glass" to generic London-style RP, to where she now sounds like an upper middle class housewife on her way to Sainsburys for a little marketing.
This is to be expected when you consider that she was "educated at home", never attended a school as we know it, and did not have significant exposure to non-Royals until she took up military training in WW2. Then, have spent 60+ years in public royal life, she has been exposed to and interacted with subjects from all walks of life (and diction). It was bound to happen as her interaction with various social classes increased as part of her "job".
*During the republic referendum in Australia in the late 1990s, it was my understanding that even if Australia became a republic and replaced its Governor-General with a President, the Queen was still legally Queen of four of the Australian states (as a result of the law or constitution in those states). Consequently, the republic referendum, if passed, would have had no effect on her status as Queen of those four states. I don't remember which were the four states, but I seem to recall that QLD and VIC were two of the ones in which she is Queen of the state, and that NSW did NOT have her as Queen. Wouldn't surprise me if SA and WA have her as Queen as well.
hoover1100
Well-known member
They really were
obsessed with "efficiency" in kitchen design in those days weren't they?
Something very pleasant and quaint about these old films, very fun to watch!
As for the narrator's accent, I thought she definitely had an Australian accent, must just be me!
Matt
obsessed with "efficiency" in kitchen design in those days weren't they?
Something very pleasant and quaint about these old films, very fun to watch!
As for the narrator's accent, I thought she definitely had an Australian accent, must just be me!
Matt
retromania
Well-known member
Loved it!
Why did they ever stop having those double drainer sinks? I have never liked the inset sinks, which seem like a retrograde step to me. Interesting that they only put in a 2 ring cooker. I think most people got a fridge before getting a washing machine, especially in hot countries like Oz. I suppose that strange jug thing was an early form of electric kettle. I've never seen anything like that, even in museums but they may have been only in Australia. I think when I was a kid most houses I went in didn't have an electric kettle as they mostly used gas stoves.
hoovermatic
Well-known member
I had one of those kettles when I lived in OZ in the early 1990's - almost everyone I knew at the time seemed to have them!
