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Diane Howse

Born Leafield, 9 Nov 1956

4 facts1 source

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

Facts and their sources

  • Born9 Nov 1956, LeafieldTaken as verified1 source
  • FatherJohn HowseTaken as verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 9 Nov 1956

    Born in Leafield

Family

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Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

She has lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Leafield.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1950s · Diane is born in Leafield

In the news1958

First motorway opens in 1958

Britain opened its first motorway, the Preston bypass, in 1958.

What people wore

Everyday wear and voluminous party skirts

Women wore floral pinafores as everyday house wear and favoured full-skirted dresses with stiffened petticoats for special occasions. These skirts were sometimes so voluminous that they made it difficult for women to pass through doorways.

Daily life

National school system and gendered subjects

The 1944 Education Act created a national school system, including the Eleven Plus exam which determined secondary school placement. In secondary schools, boys often learned woodwork and metalwork, while girls were taught home economics and needlework.

In the news1954

Food rationing ends in 1954

Food rationing, which began during World War II, finally ended in 1954.

Music

DIY Skiffle Craze of the 1950s

In the late 1950s, an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 amateur skiffle groups performed in youth clubs, church halls, pubs, and school halls using cheap or homemade instruments like washboards and tea chest basses. This democratic, do-it-yourself music movement made performing accessible to young people who lacked the resources for traditional instruments.

In Europe1948–1952

The Marshall Plan

American aid of some $13 billion rebuilt the ruined economies of Western Europe.

Getting around

Work commute times remained stable

The average time for a work commute in Britain remained remarkably stable, averaging roughly 33 to 34 minutes during the 1950s and 1960s.