Most of my young days were in Halesowen, 021 550 1146. Probably still in use with the 0121 prefix. Give it a call, see who lives there now....!
We'd had a black and white television before mom and dad got our first colour TV (rental) when I was six, that was back in '74 as well. I remember the World Cup Final as being in '74 because of Holland's bright orange shirts as we watched in colour. That and dad tutting West Germany were pretty pants and Holland were taking the mick for large parts of the game. Only for West Germany to win.
I remember one of two series were on when I watched our colour TV. I was walked into the living room with a pair of hands clutched over my eyes as a surprise for our new arrival. Strangely though it's a bit confusing to which series as it was already a repeat. But it was either The Herbs or The Adventures of Parsley, probably the latter but either way they were both very similar.
We didn't get our first phone until '75. A Trimphone no less. That too was a party line as raised by Phil earlier in the thread. Well until mom got fed up listening to dad's friend's daughter pining to her parents over her husband. He always seemed a nice enough chap to me as a kid.
Now I think about it we didn't get an electric shower until August 1981. I distinctly remember the month and year as I'd been away camping with school in Scotland for a month over the summer holidays. The shower was there when I got back. Still remember dad nagging me about the water rates as once installed he couldn't get me out of it. We didn't have central heating either until we moved from our council house in Smethwick to one in Oldbury in 1988.
Memories.......
My Nan and Grandad had a phone fitted in the early to mid eighties, it was considered to be a real step into the modern world. Seeing them embrace and tackle its arrival on the sideboard intrigued me. Bearing in mind this was for a house hold that had no gas to have hot water, all the water was boiled in front of a coal fire. I remember them having our old black and white telly as their first, it still makes me smile now remembering the change it brought in their house, before that it was just newspapers and the ‘wireless’ for info.
Their phone number began 0121 550.... where did you live KB?
My father was the local policeman in a small hamlet in Herefordshire in 1950 and therefore we had a phone. I can't remember the exchange but the number was 222. It was also one of the old fashioned type which was an upright with the receiver hanging at the top. I wonder how many of you can remember those.