Things in living memory which seem very anachronistic now

[nlogax]

And communal TV lounges in hotels instead of each bedroom having its own TV. Obviously that only worked if everyone wanted to watch the same channel.

Much easier when there were only three or four channels!

 

[AM9]

Much easier when there were only three or four channels!

or two, - (no doubt there is some honourable member who was of hotel-staying age before 1955).

 

[najaB]

or two, (no doubt there is some honourable member who was of hotel-staying age before 1955).

Or one for us army brats (BFBS).

 

[The exile]

Evening committee meetings and the like which in pre-Zoom/Teams etc. days often necessitated folk driving in all weathers, sometimes for quite a distance, to attend such gatherings in person. Will still happen in some instances but seems very "old school" these days.

Ironically, of the two committees I am on, that on which I am the youngest member (late 50s!) has continued to meet on Zoom though we’re all within a 7 or 8 mile radius. The other - full of tech-minded “youngsters” reverted to in person meetings (a 20+ mile round trip) the minute it could.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

In general, it is still possible to work out which part of the country you are in just by looking at number plates. Where I live, taking out the personalised number plates, there are still a majority of cars with V or W as the first letter. The further out of the region I head, the fewer and far between these become. When I was up in Scotland over Christmas the majority of plates all began with S, a clear indication I was in Scotland and a letter that is very rarely seen at all in my part of the country. Heading back south home down the M6, a clear indication that I was nearing the Midlands again was when I started seeing familiar letters in number plates again.

Doesn't work so we'll for buses. It used to be that operators would organise the registration of new vehicles with local marks, mostly to allow individual registrations to be reserved with the numbers matching the proposed fleet numbers. With letters now providing that separate identity for each vehicle there is little point in reserving registrations in that way and most new buses are registered in advance of delivery by either the manufacturer or dealet/importer. Hence the UK's main builder, having plants in Falkirk and Scarborough, tend to deliver new vehicles with either "S" or "Y" prefix.

 

[Tester]

On residential courses in the 1960s, and probably quite a bit later, we were all issued with linen napkins to be retained in our numbered pigeon holes in a large serviette rack.

Certainly at the Railway Engineering School, Derby in the late 70s/early 80s, with a numbered 'silver' napkin ring.

You used the one where you sat for Monday dinner for the week, putting it in the appropriately numbered pigeon hole.

 

[Hadlow Road]

Doesn't work so we'll for buses. It used to be that operators would organise the registration of new vehicles with local marks, mostly to allow individual registrations to be reserved with the numbers matching the proposed fleet numbers. With letters now providing that separate identity for each vehicle there is little point in reserving registrations in that way and most new buses are registered in advance of delivery by either the manufacturer or dealet/importer. Hence the UK's main builder, having plants in Falkirk and Scarborough, tend to deliver new vehicles with either "S" or "Y" prefix.

I believe that many of the new London ‘buses appear to have NI registrations, to enable LTZ and three digits. Must check when next in London.

 

[GusB]

The more widespread ability to interpret UK vehicle registrations in terms of year of registration and/or county of the registering authority. AA members even had a few pages in the AA handbook dedicated to listing the county codes such as SN which, for example, identified that my late parents' "Baby Austin" DSN 823 was registered in Dunbartonshire.

I agree. A vehicle of that age would have been registered by the local council (Dunbartonshire in your case), although "SN" was issued by Dundee from 1974. It's now Edinburgh. There was a bit of a reshuffle in 1974, presumably because of the local government re-organisation and the creation of the then DVLC a few years earlier.

It's still easy to achieve both* - the first letter is the registration region, the numbers are the year of registration**

More information in this booklet from the DVLA

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6694e379fc8e12ac3edafc60/inf104-vehicle-registration-numbers-and-number-plates.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj9uvOlltCLAxXfbEEAHZXNDWo4ChAWegQIQhAB&usg=AOvVaw0WjkdLUVRriX_wX0El_-SX

* - registrations are now based on a wider region rather than a specific city or county.

** - vehicles registered in the half of each year have 50 added to the year, so a vehicle registered at the end of 2022 would be a '72' plate.

It's possible to narrow the location down further with the second letter - SV and SW, for example, are allocated to Aberdeen while SX and SY are allocated to Inverness (mine starts with SY).

You can't rely on the numerical part of a modern index mark showing the correct age, though; older plates can still be transferred on to newer vehicles.

In general, it is still possible to work out which part of the country you are in just by looking at number plates. Where I live, taking out the personalised number plates, there are still a majority of cars with V or W as the first letter. The further out of the region I head, the fewer and far between these become. When I was up in Scotland over Christmas the majority of plates all began with S, a clear indication I was in Scotland and a letter that is very rarely seen at all in my part of the country. Heading back south home down the M6, a clear indication that I was nearing the Midlands again was when I started seeing familiar letters in number plates again.

In general, yes. However, there are quite a few cars around here that carry the "DL" prefix (D is Deeside and the L apparently denotes Shrewsbury) - anecdotally, all have been Vauxhalls. I'm guessing here, but I think it's probably to do with where the cars are being manufactured rather than where they're being sold. With the shift to online car sales, there's also no guarantee that your new motor will carry a "local" plate.

See the following quote:

Doesn't work so well for buses. It used to be that operators would organise the registration of new vehicles with local marks, mostly to allow individual registrations to be reserved with the numbers matching the proposed fleet numbers. With letters now providing that separate identity for each vehicle there is little point in reserving registrations in that way and most new buses are registered in advance of delivery by either the manufacturer or dealet/importer. Hence the UK's main builder, having plants in Falkirk and Scarborough, tend to deliver new vehicles with either "S" or "Y" prefix.

I believe that many of the new London ‘buses appear to have NI registrations, to enable LTZ and three digits. Must check when next in London.

It's 4 digits for the "Borismaster". Spare Northern Ireland numbers are also frequently allocated for re-registrations where companies want to disguise the age of their vehicles. In the 1980s there was a period when unused blocks of xSK, xSU and xSV registrations were released*. One notable coach operator is Park's of Hamilton which registers vehicles with *SKnnn plates (n denoting a number) when they're brand new and then re-registers them with "normal" plates before selling them on after a few years.

*SK was issued in Caithness until 1974, SU in Kincardine and SV was originally Kinross - areas that wouldn't have used up the whole range of index marks available to them.

 

[Springs Branch]

Upmarket restaurants, where diners follow this ritual:-

1) The dining party assembles and pre-dinner aperitifs* are taken in a separate bar. This is where one would peruse the day's menu and make your choice of dishes. The maitre d' will come around and take your order here.
2) When the meal is ready to be served, the head waiter will come and usher your party to your table in the dining room.
3) Once the main meal is over, your party will leave the table and either return back to the bar, or to a separate lounge, for coffee, liqueurs etc.

I believe all this mimics the way things were done in the past in aristocratic households - where the butler would bang a gong and announce to his lordship that dinner was served. And after dinner the ladies, at least, would repair to the drawing room; gentlemen may or may not remain at the table for brandy, cigars and the occasional risqué story unsuited to the ladies' ears.

I only ever came across this in good quality "country hotel" restaurants. I wonder if anything like it still occurs in the 21st century?


* - mostly pre-dinner drinks would be sherry and the like. The bar would stock a few small bottles of beer to be served (sniffily) to plebs like me who preferred a carbonated beverage to wash away the toils of the day. According to etiquette, I believe a gentleman only consumed beer at luncheon, if at all - and certainly never at dinner time.

 

[Jimini]

The more widespread ability to interpret UK vehicle registrations in terms of year of registration and/or county of the registering authority. AA members even had a few pages in the AA handbook dedicated to listing the county codes such as SN which, for example, identified that my late parents' "Baby Austin" DSN 823 was registered in Dunbartonshire.

Wow, you've just reminded me of that little nugget from the past. Fond memories of my grandfather asking my grandmother to look ones up that he didn't recognize as they drove around. They kept a book / list in the glove compartment for this purpose. This would have been back in the '80s. As you say, back in those days it was the second and third letter that was allocated to an area (for example M646BBD was a Northampton one, I seem to recall).

I've been known to order some of those old AA handbooks off eBay over the years. I used to love the motorway layout diagrams at the back.

 

[75A]

In Northern Ireland you can tell the county from the numberplate. For example both my cars are -IG ---- which is County Fermanagh.
-SZ ---- is County Down.

 

[Killingworth]

In Northern Ireland you can tell the county from the numberplate. For example both my cars are -IG ---- which is County Fermanagh.
-SZ ---- is County Down.

The Old Classic Car website has a very useful page which not only identifies the place where that number was first registered but will also give the approximate date for older vehicles - unless the original number has been sold. See; https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/registrations/reg-letters.htm

My previous car was R600 OTY. First registered in 2005 on a semi-personalised number but TY would originally have been issued in Northumberland. In that case the R doesn't give the correct age.

 

[THC]

In Northern Ireland you can tell the county from the numberplate. For example both my cars are -IG ---- which is County Fermanagh.
-SZ ---- is County Down.

You can do so in the republic too, not least because every registration plate has the county name thereon (albeit 'as Gaeilge').

THC

 

[DarloRich]

The Western liberal democratic alliance!

 

[GatwickDepress]

Hotels with shared bathrooms and a sink in the corner of each guest room.

The latter used to be quite common in student accommodation too. Now the trend is for either shared bathrooms or en suites with only older accommodation retaining basins.

 

[simonw]

Upmarket restaurants, where diners follow this ritual:-

1) The dining party assembles and pre-dinner aperitifs* are taken in a separate bar. This is where one would peruse the day's menu and make your choice of dishes. The maitre d' will come around and take your order here.
2) When the meal is ready to be served, the head waiter will come and usher your party to your table in the dining room.
3) Once the main meal is over, your party will leave the table and either return back to the bar, or to a separate lounge, for coffee, liqueurs etc.

I believe all this mimics the way things were done in the past in aristocratic households - where the butler would bang a gong and announce to his lordship that dinner was served. And after dinner the ladies, at least, would repair to the drawing room; gentlemen may or may not remain at the table for brandy, cigars and the occasional risqué story unsuited to the ladies' ears.

I only ever came across this in good quality "country hotel" restaurants. I wonder if anything like it still occurs in the 21st century?


* - mostly pre-dinner drinks would be sherry and the like. The bar would stock a few small bottles of beer to be served (sniffily) to plebs like me who preferred a carbonated beverage to wash away the toils of the day. According to etiquette, I believe a gentleman only consumed beer at luncheon, if at all - and certainly never at dinner time.

Still a thing in a number of places I've stayed. Allows the hotel to sell more drinks and the kitchen to prepare food over a longer period of time, thus reducing the resources required

 

[najaB]

Still a thing in a number of places I've stayed. Allows the hotel to sell more drinks and the kitchen to prepare food over a longer period of time, thus reducing the resources required

I would guess it's more common in destination hotels (eg countryside lodges, mountain resorts) because the majority of the clientele will be hotel guests who have nowhere to go nearby, so for them dinner is the event. It would be less likely to appeal to city-centre hotels where dinner is just part of the evening eg. dinner before going to the theatre, which makes timeliness of service more important.

 

[THC]

The latter used to be quite common in student accommodation too. Now the trend is for either shared bathrooms or en suites with only older accommodation retaining basins.

My university hall room back in 1990 had a sink and vanity unit in the corner of the room and I shared showers and toilets with eleven other students. My boy's hall of residence this year, which I think dates from about 2000, has a modular en-suite bathroom, similar to that found in Ibis hotels among others.

THC

 

[philthetube]

My university hall room back in 1990 had a sink and vanity unit in the corner of the room and I shared showers and toilets with eleven other students. My boy's hall of residence this year, which I think dates from about 2000, has a modular en-suite bathroom, similar to that found in Ibis hotels among others.

THC

presumably not all together

 

[THC]

presumably not all together

 

[najaB]

presumably not all together

What happens in uni...

 

[AY1975]

No doubt some would say that the Sunday trading laws that existed in England and Wales before 1994 would seem rather anachronistic, especially in terms of what you could and couldn't legally sell on a Sunday. Sunday trading laws were discussed in this thread in November 2023: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/sunday-trading-laws-discussion.257603/

Of course there are people who would have preferred to keep Sunday special. IMO whatever they did the laws on what you could and couldn't sell on a Sunday needed sorting out, though.

Then there were the restricted pub opening hours that applied (at least in England and Wales) before the 1988 Licensing Act. Until that time they could only open for a few hours at lunchtime and a few hours in the evening, and that has only been relaxed on Sundays much more recently. To this day there are pubs that keep traditional opening hours, particularly in rural areas. I believe that at one time pubs in parts of Scotland and Wales weren't allowed to open on Sundays at all.

Another aspect of the pub trade until fairly recently was the restrictions on children in pubs, again quite a controversial issue. Historically in Britain it has been thought that children and alcohol didn't mix so children shouldn't be allowed in pubs, although they were usually allowed at outside tables and in pub gardens (and sometimes in rooms where adults could consume alcohol bought at the bar as long as there wasn't a bar in that room).

By about the 1980s, with pubs serving full meals becoming more common, many pubs that served food allowed accompanied children in areas set aside for the service of meals provided that they were having a full meal. But at least in England and Wales it's only since about the mid 1990s that pubs have been able to admit children in any part of the premises without necessarily having a meal, and to this day not all pubs allow children.

Clearly a heavy drinking pub environment with a rowdy atmosphere is an unsuitable environment for children, but IMO a blanket ban on children on licensed premises is unnecessary: a pub with a fairly relaxed atmosphere is absolutely fine for parents to take children. In mainland Europe children are usually allowed in bars and café-bar type places.

Obviously they have to balance the need to cater for everyone against the need to combat under-age drinking and protect children from unsuitable environments that could have a bad influence on their behaviour.

 

[Howardh]

Toothpicks in hotel restaurants. needed one after every meal last week - none to be found! Are they now deemed a health risk or something?? Could I accidentally swallow one trying to remove a rasher of bacon from inbetween my teeth??

 

[Hadlow Road]

Upmarket restaurants, where diners follow this ritual:-

1) The dining party assembles and pre-dinner aperitifs* are taken in a separate bar. This is where one would peruse the day's menu and make your choice of dishes. The maitre d' will come around and take your order here.
2) When the meal is ready to be served, the head waiter will come and usher your party to your table in the dining room.
3) Once the main meal is over, your party will leave the table and either return back to the bar, or to a separate lounge, for coffee, liqueurs etc.

I believe all this mimics the way things were done in the past in aristocratic households - where the butler would bang a gong and announce to his lordship that dinner was served. And after dinner the ladies, at least, would repair to the drawing room; gentlemen may or may not remain at the table for brandy, cigars and the occasional risqué story unsuited to the ladies' ears.

I only ever came across this in good quality "country hotel" restaurants. I wonder if anything like it still occurs in the 21st century?


* - mostly pre-dinner drinks would be sherry and the like. The bar would stock a few small bottles of beer to be served (sniffily) to plebs like me who preferred a carbonated beverage to wash away the toils of the day. According to etiquette, I believe a gentleman only consumed beer at luncheon, if at all - and certainly never at dinner time.

Should I infer from your post that you no longer dress for dinner?

 

[Springs Branch]

Should I infer from your post that you no longer dress for dinner?

I certainly do.

I now live in Australia, where we've been having a bit of a summer heatwave (39°C yesterday). Even at these temperatures, I always slip on an old vest (Onslow style) when it's teatime. Such bad form to eat bare-chested, you know; one must maintain standards.

 

[GordonT]

The time when the "special relationship" between UK and US wasn't entirely an illusion.

 

[styles]

No doubt some would say that the Sunday trading laws that existed in England and Wales before 1994 would seem rather anachronistic, especially in terms of what you could and couldn't legally sell on a Sunday. Sunday trading laws were discussed in this thread in November 2023: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/sunday-trading-laws-discussion.257603/

Of course there are people who would have preferred to keep Sunday special. IMO whatever they did the laws on what you could and couldn't sell on a Sunday needed sorting out, though.

I grew up in Wales, lived in England for a decade or so, and now Scotland. I have always believed that Sunday trading laws are bonkers. I'm 33, so there's quite possibly a generational thing here. But it is worth mentioning that when I was a teenagers I worked in Makro, which was subject to the same laws, and I would've been more than happy to work early Monday shifts, and similar to supermarkets, they paid a premium (in fact I believe it was 2x pay). I do think companies need to be careful in some communities (e.g. the whole Stornoway Tesco situation), but fundamentally I believe we should be a secular nation and wanting something to be kept closed for religious reasons doesn't really fly with me.

Then there were the restricted pub opening hours that applied (at least in England and Wales) before the 1988 Licensing Act. Until that time they could only open for a few hours at lunchtime and a few hours in the evening, and that has only been relaxed on Sundays much more recently. To this day there are pubs that keep traditional opening hours, particularly in rural areas. I believe that at one time pubs in parts of Scotland and Wales weren't allowed to open on Sundays at all.

I think continuing this is acceptable, providing it's a local custom, rather than a purely religious reason. Also though I expect it's practicalities - local authorities in the UK are unlikely to ever reject opening a pub before midday, especially with an alcohol serving time from say 10am or 11am onwards. Many pubs choose not to in remote locations because they know they won't make money.

Another aspect of the pub trade until fairly recently was the restrictions on children in pubs, again quite a controversial issue. Historically in Britain it has been thought that children and alcohol didn't mix so children shouldn't be allowed in pubs, although they were usually allowed at outside tables and in pub gardens (and sometimes in rooms where adults could consume alcohol bought at the bar as long as there wasn't a bar in that room).

By about the 1980s, with pubs serving full meals becoming more common, many pubs that served food allowed accompanied children in areas set aside for the service of meals provided that they were having a full meal. But at least in England and Wales it's only since about the mid 1990s that pubs have been able to admit children in any part of the premises without necessarily having a meal, and to this day not all pubs allow children.

To be honest, these days there are not many pubs which are profitable on drinks alone, and those which are are not likely the kinds of pubs you want to take your kids to. It's each pub's right to bar people under 18, but I reckon a modern pub serving decent grub and drinks would normally have no issues having children inside, and even letting some under-18s have an alcoholic drink with their meal as the law allows. I do understand why some pubs may take a zero tolerance approach to under-18s though. The Licensing Act is quite punitive (fairly so I would say), and some pubs might just prefer an 18s+ only policy.

Clearly a heavy drinking pub environment with a rowdy atmosphere is an unsuitable environment for children, but IMO a blanket ban on children on licensed premises is unnecessary: a pub with a fairly relaxed atmosphere is absolutely fine for parents to take children. In mainland Europe children are usually allowed in bars and café-bar type places.

Obviously they have to balance the need to cater for everyone against the need to combat under-age drinking and protect children from unsuitable environments that could have a bad influence on their behaviour.

Indeed. And in my experience, this is applied pretty well in the UK. I've taken some of my Explorer Scouts (aged 14-17) to pubs before to do trip planning, with other adults of course, and I've always thought they're good venues for it. I'm not going to by a pint for a 14 year old, but sitting in a pub at a round table with a map and having a meal, maybe with a few people having a pint, I think is totally acceptable and it would be a shame if it were banned (and in fact for some of my 'remote' work, it would make life more difficult).

 

[Oxfordblues]

In Northern Ireland you can tell the county from the numberplate. For example both my cars are -IG ---- which is County Fermanagh.
-SZ ---- is County Down.

In the 1970s drivers of cars with British-mainland numberplates were advised not to venture into certain areas and the UK military reregistered their vehicles to make them less identifiable. I remember as a young man in London crossing the road if I saw a parked car with a "Z" on the plate, just in case.

 

[Statto]

Buses in passenger service during daylight hours that, unless going through a tunnel, had interior lights switched off, feels that all buses in service nowadays have interior lights switched on regardless of time of day, even in the4 middle of summer.

 

[D6130]

Buses in passenger service during daylight hours that, unless going through a tunnel, had interior lights switched off, feels that all buses in service nowadays have interior lights switched on regardless of time of day, even in the4 middle of summer.

The same used to apply to most trains in the days before guards were required to undertake commercial duties.