Life styles 60 years ago

“The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn't the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.” 
― John Lennon 

In the 1950s and 1960s a child was allowed freedoms unheard of today. At weekends and during school holidays, it was quite normal for a child to go out to play after breakfast, return for a quick lunch and then not be seen again until tea time, when as often as not they would arrive home with scraped knees and torn or muddy clothes.

World War Two had left large areas of the towns and cities devastated following German bombing raids. These bomb sites had been largely cleared but still lay barren – perfect for making dens!

There were no daytime TV programmes except for sport on a Saturday afternoon so children had to make their own fun. Those with bikes would cycle for miles, heading for the countryside or if in the city, the larger parks with their mix of neat flower beds, large grassy lawns and woods with plenty of trees to climb. Afternoons were spent happily fishing with nets for sticklebacks and minnows in the local stream. Many parks had tennis courts and putting greens where you could hire the equipment for a few pence from the caretaker, often a grumpy, retired old soldier who took no nonsense from anyone.

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/1950-1960s-Childhood/