Built To Last !

[Iffy]

Just read an article in todays newspaper (Quoted) :-

"When Grace Marks splashed out on her first cooker, little did she think it would not only outlive her, but still be doing her family proud......52 years later.

Grace bought her New World 42 appliance for £38.00 in 1959"

Her daughter, Val (now 62) said yesterday :-

" There's nothing wrong with it so there was no reason to throw it away. It still means I've got a little bit of my mum here with me."

Jon Brennan, commercial manager for New World said :-

"It has certainly got to be one of the oldest working cookers in the UK!"

Can anyone top this? (With any electric appliance) It would be interesting to know what's out there in Caithness/Orkney/Sutherland which could possibly put this cooker's age to shame? ;)

[Beat Bug]

My Mum bought a New World 84 gas cooker whwn we moved into our new house in 1955. It moved house 3 times, survived her, and my sister only had to replace it in 2000, when parts were no longer available for it.

[spurtle]

My Grandmother bought an ironing mangle attatched to a washing machine in the thirties, we still use it. There's also an old GEC cooker from the same time (three phase) We don't use it but it does still work

[Iffy]

The "New World" makers must've certainly made them built to last Beat Bug.
That's interesting to hear about your Mum's gas cooker lasting so long as well ! :D

Anyone else got stories about electric/gas appliances lasting many years like this....?

Thanks spurtle for your story of the mangle....gosh...I also remember my mum using something similar.

[bekisman]

We bought a small wardrobe from MFI in November 2008, and it's still together!

[kriklah]

I have a little bedside clock, nothing special, just a simple quartz thing, given to me by my dad when i was 13. 25 years, 8 house moves, and only 2 battery changes later, it still sits beside my bed, ticking away and keeping time.

[Kenn]

I have some Sheffield steel knives that were given as a wedding present to my mother in the early 1930s, blades are eroded with years of sharpening but they are the best cutting ones I have in the kitchen.
I also have the white baby towels from when my daughter was born over 37yrs ago, have not gone grey and are still fluffy despite being used on a regular basis.

[Corrie 3]

My Mother had a Servis washing machine that lasted over 25 years, compare that to the 4/5 years you get from one of todays "super" models!!

C3....:roll::)

[squidge]

My mum also had a washing machine, an automatic Bendix which was bolted to a concrete base in the kitchen. She got it for a wedding present in 1960 and only got rid of it in 1995 when she called bendix out to look at it cos it was broken. The repair man couldn't believe his eyes and my mum was well grumpy that he couldn't repair it and she had to buy a new one.

She also has an ironing board with a seat attached which she got for a wedding present. I saw one once on the television programme Bread but I have never seen them for sale anywhere.