Who Had A Television Set Before The Coronation In 1953?

[DUFFEMS 55]

We didn't have a telly until 1956 when mum got ours from Wiggies as did most of Sheffield!

On Coronation Day itself we all piled into the Myrtle pub on Alexandra Road run by Eric & Ellen Staniforth where they had a telly I believe but, I don't recall anyone watching it.

There was a kids party there with the traditional potted dog sandwiches followed by trifle. The kids all received a metal crown shaped money box painted gold and red (still have mine).

All this while the adults enjoyed themselves  partaking of the refreshments in the pub, I don't recall anyone mentioning the actual Coronation on't telly.

 

Regards,

Duffems

 

 

[fatrajah 10]

There was no TV reception in the Sheffield area  & beyond until October 1951 when the Holme Moss transmitter came into service, so this leaves just over 18 months to the Coronation. My memories of the event were the military band playing Soldiers of the Queen over & over & over again ad nauseam, and seeing the statuesque Queen Salote of Tonga riding around in a carriage & getting very wet. We all went to my uncle's to watch it on a 12 inch Murphy which was passed on to us a few years later.

Edited August 5, 2019 by fatrajah

[John_S6 10]

My grandparents were one of the first on their street to get one, and apparently their house was full to the rafters of neighbours who'd come round to watch the coronation.

 

I wonder if King George had lived for a lot longer TVs wouldn't have taken off so much, it seems that almost all of the early adopters got one "for the coronation"!

[jeff 2507 10]

We had a tv in 1949 a 9 inch ferguson the first thing we watched was the 1949 boat race the signal came from Sutton Coldfield I remember it cost £72 a lot of money in those days

[fatrajah 10]

2 hours ago, John_S6 said:

My grandparents were one of the first on their street to get one, and apparently their house was full to the rafters of neighbours who'd come round to watch the coronation.

 

I wonder if King George had lived for a lot longer TVs wouldn't have taken off so much, it seems that almost all of the early adopters got one "for the coronation"!

As I remember it, the biggest factors in the increase in the numbers of TVs were the advent of ITV in 1956 & the availability of 17 inch models around the same time. People didn't want to watch worthy but dull BBC programs on small screens when they could watch Highway Patrol & other exciting American programmes on ITV. By the end of the 1950s, ITV were winning the ratings war hands down & most households had a TV set.

[mikeG 16]

We had a 14" KB in '52.

 

[Annie Bynnol 612]

My uncle in London, ordered a TV in 1938 and received it in 1939 after the BBC had shut the TV service down for the war.

They moved to Betws y Coed in North Wales where the TV never worked as they never had VHF reception.

 

Edited August 7, 2019 by Annie Bynnol

[Bodsy 10]

We lived on Manor Park and went round to a neighbour's house for the Coronation - along with many other people.  My Dad came home from morning shift at Sammy Fox's at Templeborough and brought my sister and I a tin of toffees each.  

 

I used to go round to a friend's house to watch 'Children's Hour' on the BBC.  We got our TV just as ITV came on air (thanks to a previous poster, this appears to have been around 1956). 

 

Prior to all that, the highlight of our day was 'Listen with Mother' on the radio at quarter to two in the afternoon.  "Are you sitting comfortably?  Then I'll begin".  I started school just before the age of 5 and was dreadfully jealous of my younger sister, because she could stay home and "Listen with Mother". 

[Padders 2,850]

57 minutes ago, Bodsy said:

We lived on Manor Park and went round to a neighbour's house for the Coronation - along with many other people.  My Dad came home from morning shift at Sammy Fox's at Templeborough and brought my sister and I a tin of toffees each.  

 

I used to go round to a friend's house to watch 'Children's Hour' on the BBC.  We got our TV just as ITV came on air (thanks to a previous poster, this appears to have been around 1956). 

 

Prior to all that, the highlight of our day was 'Listen with Mother' on the radio at quarter to two in the afternoon.  "Are you sitting comfortably?  Then I'll begin".  I started school just before the age of 5 and was dreadfully jealous of my younger sister, because she could stay home and "Listen with Mother". 

Was their a Sammy Fox"s at Templeborough ? can remember Steel Peach and Tozer, but not Fox"s.

[lazarus 68]

My Mother got one in 1953 to watch the Coronation, it was on the weekly from Wigfalls.

[Daven 10]

My lovely Mum often talked about her Dad who died in 1950.

He made his own TV set from scratch (he was a telephone engineer) so this must have been in the late 40's.

He knew he had succeeded when he got a green spot in the middle of the screen !

I doubt he had all the neighbours round to look at but it was a massive achievement for the time.

[old tup 30]

I remember watching the coronation on our telly ,I think it was a 12inch screen Bush,when my dad told us we were having a telly I made the mistake of informing a pal at school!.On the day it was being delivered on my way home from school I resembled the Pied Piper with a fair crowd of scruffy urchins myself included trooping into our house!.We all sat on chairs and the floor fascinated with the tv when a large dark shadow appeared in the doorway,my grumpy tired hungry bad tempered old dad!."What the bloody hell is going on?,out you go you scruffy little sods!".Another memory was when the live cricket was on ,there were no portable tvs in those days and our house was the nearest to the Power Station so my dad was a foreman there and every time I came from school for my dinner I couldn,t get to the table as the room was full of his bosses and croneys drinking tea and coffee smoking cigs and pipes!,the room resembled a Turkish brothel its a wonder I didn,t catch a resperity ailment!.This went on every summer when I was a nipper!.