Tillerscast (6): British Society in the ’50s

Look at that state of the art new kitchen, in a new council house, in Harlow New Town, Essex, just as it was in 1956. I am going to look at the various elements of society in the long ’50s, in parts. First, an introduction

Here’s that record…

THE HOUSES THAT MAC BUILT

There’s quite a lot on housing here. There is the Houses the Mac Built, about the house building programme initiated by Macmillan. I have also written about the subsequent development of high rise building, here. I also wrote about Harlow New Town, and about the house I grew up in and why council houses mattered, here. A reminder that housing policy up until that point was covers in the article about Bevan and housing here.

A COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION?

There is an article on The Butler Act, Ellen Wilkinson and, another Charley film (here)!

THE NEWCOMERS

The story of Patrick Gordon Walker, and the general election of 1964 in Smethwick, gives us a fascinating, if unpleasant, snapshot of just how much race mattered politically by 1964. Tides of History give us a brilliant account here.

A WOMAN’S PLACE

1950s UK Good Housekeeping Magazine Cover

There is an article about the making of the 1950s home on History Extra, here.

THE YOUTH OF TODAY

Here’s a post about rock and roll in the ’50s

LET HIM HAVE IT: LAW AND ORDER

Elvis Costello tells the story of Derek Bentley here.

FAMILY FAVOURITES: EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE ’50s

Here is that article about Frank Sinatra in the ’50s, here. What wonderful music…. here.

And that Beatles song from the second LP:

And three great books…