Lets start at the begining.....
Now......can I ask why did you click on this tab "About Me" is that you are curious to understand why a nutty guy collects vintage washing machines or intrigued as to know how someone gets interested in collecting tatty old machines that use do the weekly wash...well sit back and I will try to give you an insight on how this quirky hobby started for me !!
"Where's that child gone now" was the most used phrase when I was growing up, because my mum would never know where I was, if we were visiting friends, I would dash straight into the kitchen to see what washing machine they had or if we were out shopping, I would rush off to the nearest electrical showroom or departmental store to check out the latest washers.
The interest started as early as 3 or 4 with these machines (so I am told) I would be so intrigued and fascinated when my mum was doing the weekly wash, water splashing around, weird noises, and the rich smell of Daz, OMO, Ariel or whatever washing powder mum was using at the time, the hot steamy smell wafting through the air, load after load being plonked into the Hoovermatic twin tub washer.
Now things changed a bit when we decided to move to a newly built house in the late 70's - yes we had gained a utility room, but mum had lost the trusty old twin tub...dad had bought mum a spanking new Hotpoint Liberator washing machine and tumble dryer (stacked), when i saw it I thought "oh no it's an automatic" never the less, I use to sit and watch the programme selector progressing through the cycle wash after wash whilst admiring the array of light to dark purple buttons but it just wasn't the same as the twin tub, over time I got to know every click & clonk off by heart, but it was boring in many respects, the twin tub meant that you really had to get involved in the wash and it was quicker !!
So we move on a few years and I would say I am now about 11 or 12, I decided to put an advert in the local supermarket, Gateway (you can see i am going back a few years now !! - mid-90's) for anyone who had an old washer...well much to my surprise a gentleman contacted me, he had an old Acme wringer, not quite a washer but, it was a start !! and this is where it really did start !!
So in the years running up to me leaving home (19) I had been collecting leaflets and brochures for over 10 years, I had accumulated over 10 machines and taken twice that amount to the rubbish tip and probably had treble that amount that in electric shocks from trying to fix the machines.
So where am I now...well I have over 40 machines in various different locations, files & files of leaflets, brochures, manuals etc and odles of spare parts...some of machines in the collection have been with me all the way through for the last 20 odd years...and more keep coming, I have done many radio interviews, loaned machines to museums & tv companies and have travelled many, many miles just to save what some people might call "just a lump of ole junk"
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The styling of the machines during the 1950's & 1960's were so unique, vibrant and pastel shades adorned the machines, the ingenuity was so robust, these were machines that were built to last, quirky features to aid the saving of time (some times these features didn't work) but this is why i am so passionate about these wonderful machines.
Sometimes I stand amongst the machines and try to rewind to the day when these machines were delivered into the housewife's kitchen, how pleased & elated she must have been to be the proud owner of an appliance that did the washing for her...but now these machines are virtually taken for granted. These machines have evolved so much over the last 60 years to a point where if I show young people a washing machine of the 50's they can hardly recognise what it is and have no idea that it is a machine which washes clothes...So the next time you load your clothes into your washing machine & switch on just think, what takes you a few minutes to do, use to take the housewife hours.
Thanks for reading !!
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