This period in British history is often known as ' The Great Depression' or ' The Great Slump'. Britain recovering from the ravages of World War One had over three and a half million unemployed by 1932. Britain's world trade fell by half. Oswald Mosley's fascists group formed and started causing trouble in London with marches and demonstrations. The jobless of Jarrow marched to the city in 1936 to highlight the desperate situation in the north of the country. However, despite all the gloom, there was plenty to be cheerful about. So, what was life like in 1930's Britain?
At Home
A new furniture and architectural style developed in the late 1920's and 1930's. Art Deco, famous for its geometric lines, influenced designs in household goods too, including crockery, vases, and radios. Most homes had a radio by the end of the 1930's and the BBC provided a programme of drama, news, religion, Children's hour and music.
The introduction of electric lighting continued and by the end of the 1930s about 1.5 million homes had an electric oven, about 9 million had gas ones. Hoover introduced an upright vacuum cleaner with the added feature of a dust seeking light! Making wash day easier, the Ewbank mangle, squeezing the water out of the clothes instead of wringing them out by hand. Still bringing a sparkle to homes, Windolene (1922), Duraglit (1927) and Brillo (1928), however, new products, like Dreft washing powder, competed with older established brands.
Food
The 1930's embraced a huge change in British diets. The convenience of canned food escalated, with many families choosing canned peaches over fresh fruit, for example! In addition to this, a sugar rush hit the shelves! Sweets, chocolate and extra sugar added to every day goods like cakes, jams and even milk, in the form of evaporated milk, accumulated in the Brits being one of the biggest per capita consumers of sugar in the world! Increased consumption and desire for new flavours left Britain with sustainability issues, with even basics like cheese, flour and eggs being imported in vast quantites. This certainly caused a massive problem when Britain went to war for the second time in the century, with supply lines being cut off by the Germans!
Popular Brands
An increased awareness of health and hygiene coincided with an increased standard of living. More people could afford soap and toothpaste. Sunlight soap, Lux and Palmolive were very popular as were Gibbs Dentifrice, Colgate and Pepsodent toothpaste.
Breakfast cereals such as Kelloggs Cornflakes, Rice Krispies, Quaker Oats and Shredded Wheat were in huge demand. By the end of 1930's, the American companies had established factories in Britain.
Sales of ice-cream boomed in this decade, but it was new sweet brands that really tickled the taste buds. Favourites like, Mars (1932), Whole Nut (1933), Kit Kat (1935) and Smarties (1937), to name but a few.
Many of the major cigarette brands promoted their products by putting cards in the packets which were collected by children. Topics included footballers, sporting celebrities, royalty, birds and flowers. Popular brands of cigarettes were Players Please, Senior Service, Wills Woodbines and Black Cat Cigarettes.
Entertainment and Leisure
'Talkies' appeared in the cinemas and Shirley Temple was a top box office attraction in 1935. For children, Mickey Mouse and Popeye and the first feature length cartoon, Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, was shown in 1937. Just one year prior to this, television sets appeared in affluent homes. Early broadcasts provided by the BBC included the procession following the coronation of King George VI .
Jigsaw puzzles flourished during this period, because they were a cheap, re-usable form of entertainment for the whole family. Likewise, Monopoly could be found in many homes by 1936, when it rivalled the word game Lexicon. Dinky cars became popular with young children. For those who could afford a holiday, the seaside beckoned and holiday camps were dotted all around the coast. Butlins Skegness was opened in 1936 followed by Clacton- on- Sea in 1938. Each chalet came with its own cold running water and electricity, in addition to this, entertainment was provided in all weathers.
Here at Sweet and Nostalgic we have a great range of 1930's Gift Ideas. Come and have a look at what life was like in was like in in 1930's Britain, our products give you a warm nostalgic flavour for this influential decade. Our range covers the whole of the 20th Century, so there's something on our site for everyone interested in the most influential century that the world has known to date.