Last updated 09:30, Saturday, 11 October 2008

Investment: Washing machines on sale at West Cumberland Farmers shop Carlisle, in 1956

Back in the 1950s and ’60s some household appliances were seen as a lavish luxury and you had to save up hard to buy them. Everything, however, seemed to be built to last, which has been proved recently in a newspaper article.

Far from being a throwaway nation, many of us refuse to upgrade or replace appliances we’ve had for years.

One lady in the article had a Singer sewing machine which had been handed down by her aunt who bought it in 1911 and was still going strong.

Can you remember the Kenwood Chef mixers? One is still whisking away after 53 years. A washing machine costing £67 in 1957, a lot of money in those days, and has steel on it thicker than you’d find on a car, still does a family’s weekly wash. Other items included a 77-year old fridge, a 62-year-old electric fire, a 58-year-old iron and a 39-year-old blender. I somehow think the mass-produced appliances of today will not having the same staying power.

n Are you still using a gadget you bought years ago? Let Timeline know.