100 Things Lost Since 1925

Following the look at modern innovations, we turn back the clock to 1925. Many of the "Big Things" that dominated the landscape a century ago—from the massive iron gasometers to the unique transporter bridges—have vanished or become rare heritage relics. This list documents 100 items, systems, and tools that were part of daily life in 1925 but are now part of history.

Big Things (The Lost Giants)

Physically massive infrastructure and transport that once defined our horizons.

Transporter Bridges: Massive aerial ferries, like the one still standing in Middlesbrough, used to move vehicles over high-mast shipping lanes.
The Transporter Bridge Middlesbrough is a landmark of industrial heritage.

Active Textile Mills: The massive, vibrating machinery that once filled these huge buildings. Noisy and often dangerous.
The decline of textile mills stemmed from post-WWI loss of export markets, intense competition from countries with cheaper labour (like India, Japan), lack of investment in modern machinery, and global economic downturns. This led to massive mill closures from the 1930s to the 1970s, rendering a once-dominant industry almost extinct, though design still occurs in the UK manufacturing moved to lower-cost regions.

Gasometers:

Enormous telescoping iron skeletons used for town gas storage; a landmark of almost every industrial town. Gasometers are largely obsolete because new technology allows gas to be stored more efficiently under high pressure in the underground pipe network, eliminating the need for large, bulky storage tanks.

Steam Locomotives:

The coal-fired iron giants that were the primary mover of the world's economy in 1925. Today, if you want to see one, you'll need to take a trip to one of the many privately run railway lines. In my case the nearest is at Beamish Museum where you can take a ride on a steam train and see many of the other things mentioned in this blog.

Colliery Headframes: The iconic massive wheels atop coal mine shafts, now almost entirely cleared from the landscape.

This one was the Rising Sun Colliery in Wallsend, Newcastle, UK and its name became the inspiration for the song 'House of the Rising Sun' (Bet you thought that song was about a brothel) The group, The Animals, who sang the song, came from Wallsend.

Rigid Airships (Zeppelins):

Physically the largest flying machines ever constructed, disappearing from the skies by the 1940s.

Coastal Artillery Batteries: Massive concrete and iron fortifications for shoreline defence.

The guns have mostly gone but the massive concrete structures in which they were housed often remain since it requires explosives to demolish them.

Whaling Stations: Enormous industrial complexes on the coast used for processing whales.

All that remains of the whaling station in Whitby is a pair of whalebones. A whale would make a variety of different products. Rendered down blubber would become oil which was incredibly versatile. It was burned in lamps, and became soap, paint and candles. Whale skin became leather and bones created the stays in corsets. Manufacturers would also use whale cartilage to make glue.

Trolleybus Overhead Wire Networks: The vast spiderwebs of copper cables that once filled city skies.

As a child I remember riding these in Newcastle. A long pole was carried in a slot to move the connectors from one set of overhead cables to another.

Railway Signal Boxes: Elevated buildings with giant mechanical levers found every few miles.

This one is at Haydon Bridge in Northumberland. As a child I remember being taken on a school trip to visit it. It featured huge leavers to control points and signals and a giant wheel which was used to open and shut the level crossing gates

Pneumatic Dispatch Tubes:

Large department stores in the 'old days' did not have large numbers of cash registers. Instead a shop assistant would take the customer's money and insert it and the product ticket into a container and send it to the cashier's office via a pneumatic tube. The change and receipt would be sent back the same way. Larger versions were used to transport mail in cities.
Paddle Steamers: Large ships propelled by giant side-wheels.

By the mid 20th century most had been scrapped with their replacement being a more efficient screw driven ship. This picture is of the world's last sea going paddle steamer the Waverley.
Public Bath Houses: Massive municipal buildings for community hygiene.

An act of Parliament, the Public Baths and Wash-houses Act, passed in 1846 required local authorities to provide facilities for public bathing. Often a swimming pool was made also. This building on Gibson Street Newcastle is such a bath house and is gradually falling into ruin.

Linotype Machines:

Heavy, room-filling machines used to cast metal type for newspapers.

Steam Powered Threshing Machines:

A machine to thresh grain usually powered by a smoke-belching agricultural steam engine during harvest. My brother-in-law owns one of these, he's restored it and takes it to agricultural shows. His is powered by an ancient tractor though.

Lightships: Massive moored vessels used as floating lighthouses.

Today they've been replaced by automated buoys and GPS systems

Manual Telephone Exchanges:

Rooms filled with floor-to-ceiling plug boards for operators were common before the introduction of long distance dialling.

Pier-End Pavilions:

Enormous ornate theatres used to be common at the end of seaside piers. Most have now been lost to fire, storms, or the sea.

Municipal Tram Sheds: Vast buildings for housing and maintaining city tram fleets.

This one is at Leeds, UK where as a child I remember visiting my Uncle George and riding on one of it's trams. Uncle George had an unusual profession. He built and maintained pipe organs in churches and cinemas.

Brick Kilns: Large, beehive-shaped structures for mass-producing bricks.

This one is on the Isle of Wight, In use they took about 2 weeks to make 12,000 bricks, The dome shape because coal fires lit around outside of the dome fired the bricks in the middle and the heated gases left through the floor to the chimney.

Wooden Rail Viaducts: Large-scale timber spans common in 1925, now replaced by steel, brick or stone.

Rare in Britain during my lifetime except for small structures but common in the world. They were never intended to last and were built to get lines open as quickly as possible. This picture shows the Carver High Trestle, Carver, Minnesota, USA.

Ocean Liner Terminals: Grand physical buildings designed for the era of the great ships.

By the 1980s they were little used since air travel was quicker and less expensive. The picture shows one at Southampton which was opened in 1950, closed in 1980 and demolished in 1983

Steam Shovels: Huge, cable-operated excavation machines.

Today they are even bigger, used in open cast mining but powered by diesel and using hydraulics.

Retort Houses: Massive buildings where coal was heated to create town gas.

Once common but now either demolished, in ruins or converted to some other use as in this one in Birmingham. Usually with a gasometer nearby but now these are long gone.

Grand Exhibition Halls: Physically enormous temporary structures like the Crystal Palace style.

The picture shows the Crystal Palace, built for 'The Great Exhibition in 1850, after it was moved to South London. It burnt to the ground in 1936 after a gas leak. You may wonder why a building made of iron and glass burnt down. The answer was the wooden floor.

Steam-Powered Dredgers: Massive barge-mounted cranes for harbor construction and dredging.
This picture shows one built in 1916 and in use until 1981. It was converted to oil in the 1930s. (Details)

Coal Hulks:

Stripped-down sailing ship hulls were often used for harbour coal storage at the end of their sailing lives after being replaced by steamships. They were eventually broken up after steamships were replaced by oil fired ships and coal was no longer needed.

Bucket Cable Systems: Once used to transport materials in hilly areas.

Today these have now been replaced by conveyor belts or trucks which are easier to relocate and less expensive to maintain. The picture shows a two cable system featuring a strong cable for support and a lighter cable to move the buckets.

Swing Bridges: A movable bridge allowing tall ships access to upriver.

This one in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is still in use but only opened on the first Wednesday of each month. Behind it you can see Newcastle's High Level Bridge which carries rail and road traffic across the Tyne. Today tunnels and concrete bridges would be used.

Spark-Gap Radio Stations: The coastline of Britain used to be dotted with these shore-to-ship radio stations.

This one at Cullercoats, Northumberland was typical. Radio operators would sit in a soundproof room listening for the faint signals from on-ship transmitters. By 1927 spark-gap transmitters had been banned due to their inefficiency and huge bandwidths but the stations remained using valves instead of spark-gaps to transmit. The huge aerials were no longer needed.

Coal Staithe: These were wooden coal staiths for loading coal onto ships.

Used from 1893 to 1980 this one at Dunston on the River Tyne sent coal all round the world. They allowed coal trains to use gravity to fill cargo holds.

The Street-Side "Public Health" Disinfecting Station.

In 1926, major towns had large, specialized municipal buildings called Disinfecting Stations (often attached to the "Big" public baths). If a household had an outbreak of Scarlet Fever or Smallpox, the council would send a van to collect all bedding and clothes to be baked in massive industrial steam autoclaves. These huge "ovens" and the social system around them have entirely disappeared thanks to modern antibiotics and home washing machines.

Vertical-Lift Bridges: Large mechanical bridges with massive counterweights. There's a surviving example at Middlesbrough on the River Tees.The second odd bridge at Middlesbrough which once lifted to allow ships to pass under it. It was last lifted in 1990.
Incidentally, I was once following a truck over this bridge and spotted a brick stuck between the back wheels. I dropped back sharply. The car behind me blew its horn and overtook - something you are not supposed to do there. The brick came loose and flew through the window of the overtaking car.

Municipal Abattoirs: Large, specialized industrial buildings once in every city centre.

This picture shows Smithsfield in London where once cattle and other animals would be driven through the streets to be slaughtered.

Cast Iron Bridges:

This picture is of 'Iron Bridge' in Shropshire, UK. Built in 1781 it was the world's first major large-scale iron bridge and made of cast iron. Today such spans have today been replaced by high-tensile steel or concrete bridges.

Water Towers (Brick/Iron): Iconic large storage tanks for municipal pressure.

Today variable speed pumps offer a lower cost alternative and many towers have been converted into homes. A few are still built in places where the power supply is unreliable.
Railway stations too would have a water tower to refill steam engine trains. There's one still standing at Hexham Station near where I live.

Grain Elevators (Wooden):

The "skyscrapers of the prairie" that dominated the landscape have now largely been replaced by cylindrical silos.

Blast Furnaces (Stone/Early Iron):

Massive towers for smelting, now mostly ruins or, like this one at Redcar, demolished.

Cooling Ponds: Large open-air reservoirs for power plant waste heat.

Today these have now been replaced by cooling towers. In many cases the ponds remain as wildlife sanctuaries

Windpumps: Iconic lattice-tower pumps once common on every farm.

Today when a water supply is needed from underground a solar powered pump has replaced them; far easier to maintain.

Social Innovations (Obsolete Systems)

The laws, professions, and social routines that have been fundamentally replaced.

The Telegram System: The primary social network for urgent news, hand-delivered by messengers on motorbikes or bicycles.

Lost in the days of home telephones and Internet. The service terminated in 1982

The Workhouse: Large-scale social institutions for the destitute, which were officially abolished by 1948 with the passing of the National Assistance Act.

The able bodied were required to do some work. A report on the Macclesfield workhouse found that amongst the able-bodied females there were 21 washers, 22 sewers and knitters, 12 scrubbers, 12 assisting women, 4 in the kitchen, 4 in the nursery, and 4 stocking darners. On the men's side were 2 joiners, 1 slater, 1 upholsterer, 1 blacksmith, 3 assisting the porter , 6 men attending the boilers, 3 attending the stone-shed men, 4 whitewashers, 4 attending the pigs, 2 looking after sanitary matters, 1 regulating the coal supply, 18 potato peelers, 1 messenger, 26 ward men, 2 doorkeepers. There were also 12 boys at work in the tailor's shop.

Knocker-uppers: In the UK the phrase, "I'll knock you up" doesn't mean what it means in the US (make you pregnant),

In the days before alarm clocks became affordable, knocker uppers were people paid to tap on bedroom windows with long poles to wake workers for the early shift. Some didn't use a pole but used a pea-shooter instead. Often they were followed by a flock of pigeons.

Horse-Drawn Milk Delivery.

As a child I remember these in Newcastle, later replaced by electric milk floats. Today most milk is bought in supermarkets.

Department Store Floorwalkers. Before the days of closed circuit TV large department stores used to employ people to walk the store watching for shoplifters and directing customers.

Remember the TV Series, 'Are you being served'? The gentleman on the left 'Captain Peacock' was a floorwalker at the Grace Brothers Department store.

Post Office Savings Books. Now replaced by banking cards.

My mother ran a village store and sub-post office in the 1970s where I helped out in my holidays. I remember taking and issuing money from these and stamping the transaction. The savings books service was ended for new transactions around 2008-2012, replaced by statements and digital access.

Cinema Newsreels. In days gone by before TV became common a newsreel was shown between feature films at the cinemas.

Today you'll just see adverts.

Common Lodging Houses. A form of cheap accommodation in which the inhabitants (who are not members of one family) are all lodged together in the same room or rooms, whether for eating or sleeping.

The slang terms dosshouse (British English) and flophouse (North American English) designate roughly the equivalent of common lodging-houses. The nearest modern equivalent is a hostel. The picture shows the kitchen of a London dosshouse.

Laundry Blueing Routine. In days gone by a small bag of blue dye was added to the weekly wash to make white clothes seem whiter.

My mother used to run a village shop and amongst the stock she inherited was a supply of laundry blue bags. I don't believe she ever sold one since by the 1970s washing powders had blue fluorescent dyes added.

Manual Lamp Lighting. As a child in Newcastle I remember a man who came round morning and night with a long pole to turn on or off the gas street lights.

Although Newcastle was the first city to be lit by electric lights, our steet there still had gas ones. I remember them being replaced by electric lights and the same man came round morning and night to switch them on or off until timers were fitted.

Manual Traffic Policing.

A lot of street crossings in the 1940s to 60s didn't have traffic lights so at busy times a policeman would stand directing traffic. The picture shows a policeman in Edinburgh. Notice how busy the traffic was.

Rag-and-Bone Collections This was the answer to recycling in times gone by.

People used these collectors to get rid of a lot of what they considered 'junk'. The rag 'n bone man would collect it, sort it and sell it on to others. As a child in Newcastle I remember their indecipherable calls to attract attention. Later the horse drawn carts were replaced by pickup trucks. In early times they would actually collect bones, to make glue and rags, used by papermills.

Knife Grinders Another street service was a travelling knife grinder who would sharpen knives, scissors and other tools.

Today we have devices in our kitchens for this task and also serrated knives which never seem to need sharpening.

Monday Washday In times gone by Monday was the traditional day for washing clothes.

They would then be hung out to dry in the open air. Today, clothes are washed as needed and often dried in a tumble drier or if nor - a rotary clothes line. Rain on a Monday was bad news for many.

The Village Smithy Most villages had a blacksmith at one time.

A blacksmith could turn his hand to a large variety of work, dealing with horses, carriages and carts. They also made tools and fittings. Now our hinges, trowels, spades and forks all come from abroad and if a new one is needed it's cheaper to buy a new product than to repair the old one.

The Night Soil Men In the late 1920s there were still houses which did not have access to flush toilets. They used 'earth closets' which periodically had to be emptied by night soil men.

These small 'windows' found in some old properties are where these men plied their trade. The 'soil' would be carted away and added to farm middens as fertiliser.
In the Newcastle area where I was born these people were called 'Muckmen' a word made famous by the Geordie music hall song 'Cushie Butterfield.'

The Sanding of the Floors In the early 1900s before linoleum and carpet became relatively inexpensive sand or sawdust would be scattered on stone and wooden floors.

It would mop up spills dirt and dust and each week it would be swept out and replaced. The picture shows this used in a butcher's shop. I remember seeing a butcher's shop in the Big Market, Newcastle, with sawdust on the floors

Spittoons in Public Houses It sounds disgusting today but spittoons were a common sight in bars.

Attitudes changed when it was realised that spitting helped spread tuberculosis. I remember riding on busses with 'No Spitting' signs.

Door to Door Salesman

I remember the Kleenex Man calling at our house to sell my mother brushes and other household gadgets.

Carpet Beating

When as a child my family moved to a farm in Northumberland we had no electricity supply. Our stone floors were covered with carpets. Periodically these would be rolled up, taken outside and hung over a washing line to be beaten with a wicker carpet beater. Today these have been replaced by fitted carpets cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.

Little Things (Small & Handheld)

The everyday objects that have been made obsolete by modern technology.

Dip Pen Nibs:

Small, interchangeable metal points that had to be repeatedly dipped into an inkwell before the ubiquity of the fountain pen.
78 RPM Shellac Records:

Heavy, brittle discs that held only a few minutes of music and shattered easily if dropped.

The Slide Rule:

The handheld mechanical analogue computer used by every engineer and architect, and student before the electronic calculator. I owned several including a cylindrical one.

Washing machines with Mangles:

In the days before spin-dryers, washing machines came with a mangle attached, used to squeeze water out of the laundry. Many fingers and arms were caught in these.

Monocles

If your eyesight was deficient on one eye only, then why pay for a full set of spectacles? A monocle cost less but by the 1950s was already considered too old fashioned. (Incidentally when was the last time you saw someone smoking a pipe or wearing a deer stalker hat?)

Manual-Wind Pocket Watches Early watches were a little big to be worn on the wrist.

Pocket watches, designed to be carried in a waistcoat were popular and still survived late into the 20th Century. Today they've been replaced by digital watches and smartphones/smart watches.

Fire-heated Curling Tongs These are the sort of things which get passed down through the ages.

They were heated on a stove and required some skilful timing to avoid burning skin and hair. Today people find electrically heated and thermostatically controlled tongs far safer and more convenient.

Matches: When did you last see someone using a matchbox?

Fewer people smoke today and those who do, usually carry a lighter. While matches can still be bought, how long before they disappear completely?

Cut-throat Razors

Once common, now the only place you are likely to see one of these is at a barbers. Long since replaced by safety razors and electric razors in homes.

Reel-to-reel tape recorders

Popular in the 60s and 70s these bulky recorders were famous for scattering tape all over a room. It's no surprise that cassette tapes became more popular.

8 track tapes:

These were the car version of reel-to-reel tapes, again popular in the 60s and 70s. Still bulky by today's standards.

Cassette tape recorders

Phillips produced compact cassette recorders in 1963 and they quickly became popular, replacing 8-track tapes. They gained a new lease of life in the 1980s as a means of storing computer programs for the first home computers.

Slate and Slate Pencils:

As a child I remember these being used in my primary school and learned to write with one.

Shoe Horns:

These got their name from being made fro horn but bone and metal were also used to make them. Today, if you decided to buy one, it would probably be made of plastic.

Handheld Oil Lamps:

On our farm in the 1950s, before we got electricity, oil lamps and candles provided lighting at night. It's a wonder we children didn't set the house on fire. Downstairs in the living rooms we had Calor gas lamps.

Washboards:

In the days before washing machines, washing clothes was much more labour intensive. The clothes would be soaped and rubbed on a washboard to dislodge dirt. For a while in the 50s washboards were popular in skiffle groups, being played with thimbles.

Buttonhooks:

In the days before zips and velcro some clothes and footwear had lots of buttons to fasten. To make things easier a buttonhook would be used. These were pushed through the buttonhole, hooked over the button and then withdrawn to fasten the button.

Snuff Boxes:

Not very popular even by the 1950s, people preferred cigarettes to get their nicotine fix. These small boxes with a tight fitting lid were carried in the 'other' waistcoat pocket.

Carbon Paper

In the days before photocopiers and word processing became common, to get a second copy of a document carbon paper was used in a ~~tripewriter~~ typewriter by placing it between two sheets of paper.

Hatpins (Long)

In the days of elaborate hairstyles and large hats a hatpin was used to keep the hat in place on windy days. These fell out of use in the 1940s.

Blotting Paper:

The ink from fountain pens took a while to dry so blotting paper was common to soak up the excess and prevent smudging. Today, ball point and felt tip pens don't need it.

Chamber Pots

In days gone by a chamber pot was often found under the bed and used to avoid a trip at night to an outside toilet.

Floppy disks (8½", 5¼", 3", 3½")

In my time as an Information Technology teacher I've uses all four types of floppy disks. 3½" floppies survived the longest but today you won't find one on a computer. Not something I miss.

Silver Sixpences and threepenny bits:

The 'tanner' and 'thrupenny bit' really used to be made of silver up until 1921 when the sixpence (now worth 2.5p) was changed to a nickel alloy and the three pence coin was changed to bronze. Both ceased to exist after 1971's decimalisation.

Hand-cranked Coffee Grinders:

Most people buy their coffee already ground, in pods or as instant coffee today. A few (like me) still use a grinder but it's electrically driven.

Gas Mantles: You can still buy these for camping gas lights. In the past they were used for 'Tilly' lamps and gas lighting in houses. In use the fabric is lit and after a while it burns away leaving a fragile mantle which glows a brilliant white as it is heated.

Flat Irons:

Before electricity and electric irons a 'flat iron' would be heated on a stove and used to do the ironing. It took some skill to get it to the right temperature, too cool and it wouldn't work, too hot and you risked a scorched shirt or sheet. I still have two, and use them as door stops.

Copper Kettles (Hearth type):

Water for tea used to be boiled in a kettle over a coal fire. Today we use electric kettles which are much quicker and safer to use.

Toasting forks:

Crumpets, muffins and teacakes along with bread used to be toasted over open fires with a toasting fork. Today we use electric toasters.

Cigarette Cases (Silver):

Have you seen a smoker use one of these recently? Those who still smoke don't appear to use them.

School desk with Inkwells:

I remember these from my school days. An ink monitor would be given the task of filling the inkwells each day. The slot carved in the top held your ink pen or pencils. The desk had a hard wooden seat which kept you awake because it was so uncomfortable.

The Clothes Airer (The Pulley/Creel)

The UK is famous for rainy days which made drying washing difficult. Many kitchens used the heat from stoves to dry clothes using one of these. Today tumble driers have taken their place.

Pince-nez:

These were spectacles that clipped to the bridge of the nose without ear-pieces. In 1925, they were still very common for reading, though they were beginning to lose ground to modern frames. They represent a very specific "look" of the era that has completely disappeared from the high street.

Stair Rods:

In most of the 1900s, fitted carpets weren't a thing on stairs. You had a "runner" down the middle of the stairs, held in place by brass or wooden rods at the back of each step. Today, stair rods are purely decorative, but then, they were a functional necessity to stop the carpet from sliding under your feet. Stair rods allowed the carpet to be moved to spread the wear and the carpet runner could be taken out and beaten.

Ewer and Basin:

Even if a house had a kitchen tap, many bedrooms in the 1900s lacked plumbing. A large ceramic jug (ewer) and matching bowl were used for the morning wash. This ritual died out as internal plumbing was retrofitted into older homes throughout the mid-20th century.

Darning Mushrooms:

Today when a sock develops a hole we throw it away and buy a new pair. In more frugal times a darning mushroom would be used to help repair it.
Fireguard:

These were used to protect young children from the open fires common in houses. Today open fires are rare.

Wireless Accumulators:

When wirelesses became popular many houses as recent as the 1950s still didn't have electricity so a lead acid accumulator was used to power radios and some telephones. These would be taken each week to be recharged at a garage or shop.

TV/Radio/Gramophones:

In the 1950s these were a popular way of housing the then media together neatly. The TV used a heavy glass 'tube'; the gramophone could play 78 rpm. 33 rpm and 45 rpm records and the radio supported long wave, medium wave and sometimes short wave stations. Arguments developed over what to listen to or watch.

Gas Pokers:

For many people lighting a coal open fire was a daily struggle with paper, kindling and coal. The gas poker was a quick and easy alternative. You lit the poker and inserted it into the coal. Simple. Then coal fires were phased out and in many cases the coal open fire became a gas fire.