Some really old familiar things that no longer exist

[mark]

Mafac centerpull brakes.

Those cheap Mafac tool kits that came in a plastic pouch.

Wonder lights (the ones that strapped onto your arm or leg and kept going out because the batteries compressed the spring in the bottom too much).

[rdaviesb]

Polaroid film (though some blokes are trying to reverse engineer the process and re-launch it).

[mark]

Polaroid film (though some blokes are trying to reverse engineer the process and re-launch it).

Apparently they've succeeded, and Polaroid film and cameras will be available once again:
The Impossible Project .

[IanDG]

Polaroid film

Kodachrome 64

[fred the great]

Gas street lights.

[TimO]

Gas street lights.

You're looking in the wrong place then.  I know of at least three places that still have gas lighting, Hyde Park, the entrance to Imperial College (aka Imperial College Road), and Middle Temple.

According to Wikipedia there are many more places in London, but it doesn't give an awfully large amount of detail about most of them.

Quite a few streets in central London, the Royal Parks and the exterior of Buckingham Palace remain gaslit as well as almost the entire Covent Garden area. ...

[Jurek]

Gas street lights.

*Ahem*

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Stone hot-water-bottles.

In the 1990's these were still sold in a certain York hardware shop but no longer appear on their shelves.

[Mr Larrington]

Vending machines in the street.  When a small Mr Larrington, chewing gum and chocolate and tabs could be bought from such things, but they all disappeared in the mid-seventies, presumably after being repeatedly smashed up by proto-chavs.

[Andrij]

Vending machines on Tube platforms.

[tatanab]

Gas street lights.

102 in use here Who will rescue the Narnia gas lamps? (From Malvern Gazette)

[TheLurker]

...£1 notes ...

Still got them until relatively recently in Scotland. I haven't seen one for a while, though.

TheLurker still has 3 RBS pound notes in his wallet that are kept in the hope that he will, one day, return to civilisation.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Gas lights at Imperial. Oooh! I shall look for them. Tim, do you know where the gas comes from? Please let it be some subterranean cavern under the School of Mines.

[alexb]

Gas street lights.

You're looking in the wrong place then.  I know of at least three places that still have gas lighting, Hyde Park, the entrance to Imperial College (aka Imperial College Road), and Middle Temple.

According to Wikipedia there are many more places in London, but it doesn't give an awfully large amount of detail about most of them.

Quite a few streets in central London, the Royal Parks and the exterior of Buckingham Palace remain gaslit as well as almost the entire Covent Garden area. ...

There's a gas lit pub in the city as well. all wood apnels and stuff. I found it by accident, never have found it again. does anyone know where this is?

[TimO]

You would think someone had a list of gas lamps in London (or the approximate areas), but I haven't managed to find a decent one yet.

This page has some interesting photos of a fair few.

Curiously, it mentions that some are controlled by clockwork timers, which need to be wound up weekly, presumably that means the lighting mechanism is also mechanical in nature.

[TimO]

There's a gas lit pub in the city as well. all wood apnels and stuff. I found it by accident, never have found it again. does anyone know where this is?

I found the Holly Bush which apparently has gas lighting.

Edit: ...and the Kings Head in Islington.

I can't find any in the city though.

[nicknack]

I used to spend a lot of time in the Holly Bush...

Nice pub

At least, it was 30 something years ago.

[Andrij]

There's a gas lit pub in the city as well. all wood apnels and stuff. I found it by accident, never have found it again. does anyone know where this is?

I found the Holly Bush which apparently has gas lighting.

Edit: ...and the Kings Head in Islington.

I was in the Holly Bush last night (and a number of times previously) but never took note of the lamps.  I will do on my next visit.  (nicknack: it's still a nice pub  )  I may have been in the Kings Head as some point, but can recall nothing about it.

Perhaps we need to organise a field trip? 

[nicknack]

back on topic:

Proper bleach.

[TimO]

I was in the Holly Bush last night (and a number of times previously) but never took note of the lamps.  I will do on my next visit.  (nicknack: it's still a nice pub  )  I may have been in the Kings Head as some point, but can recall nothing about it.

Perhaps we need to organise a field trip? 

I've started a thread over in "Rides and Touring".

[hellymedic]

Polaroid film

Kodachrome 64

Kodachrome 25

[fred the great]

Gas street lights.

You're looking in the wrong place then.  I know of at least three places that still have gas lighting, Hyde Park, the entrance to Imperial College (aka Imperial College Road), and Middle Temple.

According to Wikipedia there are many more places in London, but it doesn't give an awfully large amount of detail about most of them.

Quite a few streets in central London, the Royal Parks and the exterior of Buckingham Palace remain gaslit as well as almost the entire Covent Garden area. ...

How interesting. Do they still employ a tall man to light them these days? If not I shall change my street gas lights to "tall man to light street gas lights"

[TimO]

How interesting. Do they still employ a tall man to light them these days? If not I shall change my street gas lights to "tall man to light street gas lights"

As far as I know, it's automatic, although I'm uncertain of the exact mechanism.

There's still a small workforce employed to maintain London's gas lamps with duties including checking the mantles and giving the lamps a weekly wind-up (the timer is controlled by a clockwork mechanism).

[fred the great]

Well, my friend's father was a very tall man who used to light gas lamps. We used to joke that he lit his fag from them. He rode a ruddy big bike.

I think they were converted to leccy in the 50's.

[CommuteTooFar]

On my commute (Llanrisant road) The Star Inn Pub - Demolished for M4
The Blacksmith just beyond it.

The trees I climbed when small particularly the hollow beach tree - felled to build a private school.

Colliery winding gear everywhere slightly North of Cardiff.