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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Amy Reast & Steven Smith

Couple ditch modern life to live in the 1930s

A couple have scrapped modern life to live as it was in the 1930s, including their clothes, car, furnishings and appliances - even using a mangle and a gramophone. Lisa and Neil Fletcher have transformed their lifestyle and home into a pre-war Britain era - from their flooring down to the doorknobs.

They only watch black and white films and TV, have vintage light switches and a 1930s fridge, lawnmower, vacuum cleaner and car. The pair try and only ever pay with cash and use a landline - not a mobile phone.

Lisa, 58, had the dream of living out an authentic 1930s lifestyle and convinced engineer Neil, 55, to get on board after they married in 1991. They listen to music on gramophones and have wardrobes bursting full of original 1930s fashion from vintage shops and car boot sales.

The authentic couple have lived in three houses and moved into their current one six years ago which they have been turning into their 1930s haven ever since. The house is complete with original fireplace, furniture and even appliances - including a working enamel cooker and 1935 Westinghouse fridge.

Housewife Lisa even prefers to do the washing by hand using a mangle. Not everyone they know fully understands their lifestyle, but they say they'll never go back to modern-day living.

Lisa, of Watchet, Somerset, said: "I was always interested in history as a child - I never liked shopping like other schoolgirls but I used to drag a huge history book around with me. After Neil and I married, I bought a few art deco pieces for the house until eventually he got on board and started buying them as well.

"We decided to go full 20s and 30s high style - for me it had to be full on glamour. I think people assume we're like something from Dickensian England, sat here by flickering candlelight - but it's not like that.

"But everything in our house has a story - if I woke up and it was all modern I'd lock myself in a cupboard and not come out! When people see us in the street they sometimes ask if we're off to a wedding because of how we dress.

"I think people see us as completely barking mad, but I couldn't imagine anything else."

Lisa told how shortly after getting married, she raised the idea of living her 1930s dream with Neil - although at first he was not convinced. When she introduced the idea, Neil said he believed it would be "too art deco".

Lisa resolved to just make a few additions to their home, but over time, she noticed Neil also began to spot interesting items of the same style. Eventually they agreed to go "full 20s and 30s".

Lisa and Neil Fletcher have transformed their lifestyle and home into a pre-war Britain era (James Dadzitis/SWNS)

The couple decked out their first home, a cottage, with as much original 1930s design as possible, but also adopted the lifestyle. Over time their entire wardrobes were filled with original 1930s clothing to complete their vintage lifestyle.

Lisa said: "I never thought I'd actually find the clothes. I always wanted to dress this way, but nobody who does ever tells you where they get their clothes.

"Eventually I was tipped off by someone about a business and they have basically supplied me with my entire wardrobe. We also go to car boot sales and charity shops a lot.

"I've got a real thing for gloves - we joke that if I buy any more I could look after a coach party."

Six years ago the couple moved into their current home, a much more spacious three-bed house in Watchet. The property had been entirely gutted by previous owners, so they set to work restoring it to become a 1930s haven where they would live out their dream.

Over the years they have kept a sharp eye out and managed to get hold of original second-hand items from the period. The house's original lino flooring in the kitchen was found beneath tiling, and they have now restored the floor to its former glory.

Their 1930s renovation goes right down to the detail of the skirting boards, light switches, doorknobs and original cabinets. The pair snatched up an original 1929 Jackson grey enamel cooker for £250 second hand, which is in perfect working condition and used every day.

They also have a 1935 Westinghouse fridge which was purchased on eBay - and one of only a handful of its kind still being used in the world.

Lisa said: "Buying everything second hand, it all comes with a story. Everything comes from somewhere.

"We bought this fridge when the owner told us 'if you want it, you have to come tomorrow' so we had to drop everything and rush to London that day to collect it. We always end up on lots of little adventures."

Neil and Lisa Fletcher's house (James Dadzitis/SWNS)

Their kitchen also has a full 1930s dinner service with original cutlery, glasses, table clothes and crockery for their traditional Sunday meals. But their prized possessions are their three gramophones, on which they listen to their 1930s music from vinyl records.

Lisa told one of the things that prompted them to move into a larger home was because "we had so many records in our collection that it was making the ceiling bow".

She said: "I love my gramophone and I love my music. When I go into the kitchen and lay the tablecloth with all my bits and pieces, then play our music, I just think how lovely it all is."

They also have a smaller one which they take out when they pack up a picnic basket to go for a picnic, in true 1930s style. But not only is their house entirely 1920s and 1930s - but also their lifestyle reflects the era.

Aside from a mobile phone Neil uses for work, they stick to a landline phone. They keep their use of online banking and cards to a virtually zero in favour of traditional cash-in-hand purchasing.

They have one tiny TV purchased for £100, which they only plug in when they want to use it - although only to watch black and white shows and films. While Neil is out at work, Lisa stays home to cook and clean - and opts to wash by hand and dry using a traditional mangle over using a washing machine and tumble drier.

Their lawnmower, vacuum cleaner and cars are also original and in-keeping with the time period. Every week they have a traditional Sunday dinner sat around the table - and everything is homemade, with no processed food in sight.

Lisa said: "I cook everything from scratch and do all my own baking. You'd be surprised the amount of food that came out in the 1920s and 1930s, and everything we eat is from that time.

"We do eat a lot of pies like cottage pie, which I suppose is a bit old-fashioned. Nothing modern like fajitas - never has a tortilla come into this house!"

The couple, who have no children, know they don't fit the mould, but they live the life that works for them.

Lisa said: "Sometimes we have wandered through a modern home showroom, just out of curiosity. They must have thought we looked strange walking through with our hats and handbags!

"But you see it look so clean and neat and lovely and realise it says nothing about you at all, there's no identity. Whereas everything in our home has a story, it comes from somewhere and has its own history."

Lisa told how they get mixed reactions to their lifestyle - with some people supporting it and others a little bewildered.

She said: "I hope people will accept what we do and why - some are very complimentary but other people have been very rude in the past. I think some people just think we're barking mad!

"I don't think our families really understand it but we're not all the same and it can't suit everyone. They were surprised by how nice our home was when they came to visit, though."

Despite what anyone thinks, Lisa told how they will never go back to a modern lifestyle.

She said: "I love it and I can't ever imagine anything else. If I woke up tomorrow and it was all modern, I'd probably lock myself in a cupboard and refuse to come out!"

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