Were watching a fascinating documentary series on BBC Four this week called ‘All Mod Cons.’ It’s being shown as part of ‘1997 week’.

The programme makers describe the series best:

“All Mod Cons illuminates our changing attitudes to domesticity, home ownership, gender roles and children by looking at the ways in which we have chosen to decorate and redecorate our homes over the past fifty years. Interviews and the witty use of archive combine for an intimate and affectionate social history of British homes.”

Bubb and I are hooked and have been sighing wistfully over the gorgeous open plan homes with their sleek G-Plan sideboards. We have also had quite as few laughs at the RP accents at the BBC in the 1950s, and how it was absolutely de rigueur to wear a tie whilst cracking on with the DIY. I am also surprised the anyone visiting a 1950s home escaped without being slathered in contact adhesive and having a piece of Formica attached to their person - it was everywhere!

The show references the themes of Britain’s recovery from post-war austerity and the major impact made on our homes by the 1951 ‘The Festival of Britain‘. Digging around this morning I’ve found some great sites on the subject, particularly the Mullen Archive. It features scans of all the major newspaper and magazine articles at the time of the exhibition. The Museum of London also has a great mini-site on the festival featuring stories from people who actually attended.

Although the post-war modernising of London’s Victorian terraces was not always a success (those hideous 1960s gas fires for example. One of which I am looking at right now in our lounge), you can see why it was done - the spirit of contemporary living had arrived!

Image: Architonic Source Library