Thread Number: 18516
Beware - not for the faint hearted - this is painful viewing!
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Post# 300430   8/31/2008 at 14:56 (5,687 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Was doing a trawl on Flickr to day, seeing what washery and dryery piccies people had posted, when i stumbled across pictures taken at an abandonned mine (Groverake Mine) near Rookhope in Weardale, UK.

As is said by one of the photographers, it is amazing what gets left behind at industrial sites.

The painful thing is, all these machines will more than likely have been fully operational when the place closed in 1999.

It does make for painful viewing and i am only posting the piccies because I am mystified as to what the machine facing the wall is/was? Anyone any ideas?


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Post# 300431 , Reply# 1   8/31/2008 at 14:58 (5,687 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Hotpoint Microprofile
Mystery machine
Hoover Electron (A3256, A3258 or A3260)
Ariston/Colston Automatic Wash and Tumble Dry


Post# 300432 , Reply# 2   8/31/2008 at 14:59 (5,687 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Different angle



Post# 300433 , Reply# 3   8/31/2008 at 15:01 (5,687 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

and the third, showing much better the Ariston/Colston machine.
Plus have you ever seen worse condition Hotpoint Liberator - this machine is an early one, with the simple block capital lettering for the manufacturer and name


Post# 300434 , Reply# 4   8/31/2008 at 15:04 (5,687 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

the link to the Liberator photographers pictures.

As I say, they are painful, but i am intrigued by the mystery machine.

A saddened
Paul
p.s methinks these people maybe shouldnt have been there, plus one of the comments warns of vandalistic chavs, so maybe not a good idea to go a hunting.


CLICK HERE TO GO TO matchboxpaul's LINK


Post# 300435 , Reply# 5   8/31/2008 at 15:10 (5,687 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        
On a Brighter note....

everyone should do this - take specific sets of pictures of your house over the years to remind you what it used to look like.

nearly 50 years on the nostalgic effect must be immense!

August 1963 at a house in Crayford, UK - is that machine a REX?



CLICK HERE TO GO TO matchboxpaul's LINK


Post# 300436 , Reply# 6   8/31/2008 at 15:11 (5,687 days old) by electron1100 (England)        

electron1100's profile picture
hmmm maybe an AEG not sure

very very sad to see this and of course the mine..........very sad brings back memories of that demented hag Thatcher..........how we all paid dearly for her policies.


Post# 300437 , Reply# 7   8/31/2008 at 15:15 (5,687 days old) by electron1100 (England)        
kitchens

electron1100's profile picture
oh christ those kitchens are so fashinable now..........the amount of 50/60s kitchen furniture we sell at work to the wealthy trendy middle class art types .........i really like it myself, childhood memories and all that.

Brilliant



Post# 300445 , Reply# 8   8/31/2008 at 15:54 (5,687 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        
Just answered my own question

it is an Imperial Rex Automatic.

I wonder if the owners of this wonderful kitchen realsed that the controls were on the top/back of the machine?
Maybe it wasnt permanetly plumbed in.
They also look to have kept the hot water boiler - you can see it hidden away, next to the Rex.


Post# 300452 , Reply# 9   8/31/2008 at 16:25 (5,687 days old) by tuthill ()        

Old pictures like that are fascinating... Just like looking at pictures of the Aberdeen farm.

Post# 300454 , Reply# 10   8/31/2008 at 16:42 (5,687 days old) by 2drumsallergy ()        
Mystery machine

Hi Folks,
The Mystery Machine is a Philco Bendix. It looks to have a variable thermostat which places it as a model 7133 800RPM spin, the motor is missing so I cannot be totally sure.

David


Post# 300456 , Reply# 11   8/31/2008 at 16:53 (5,687 days old) by electron800 ()        
awwww ='[

The electron model there is my dream machine, the holy grail for me.

Just hope one will come up someday.

I'm sure they're still around


Post# 300514 , Reply# 12   8/31/2008 at 21:55 (5,687 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        

Beat me to it...

the mystery machine is a Philco-manufactured Bendix. I have repaired a couple of these, 800 rpm and 1000 rpm spin models with the big induction motor. A lovely solid machine.

The Hotpoint Microprofile in the corner is the same as mine, except mine has the brown plastic instead of white. Strangely mine is called a 9560W, and I thought the W stood for white, but mine is definitely brown, and the model ID sticker is on brown plastic (inside the door).

The Ariston in the corner was sold here badged either as an Indesit WD800 or Lemair WD800. It was not a big seller though. I have also owned a couple of South African versions of that machine - badged as Indesit, a diferent model number, and slightly different functions of the four buttons. They were privately imported by South African imigrants. I really liked the South African machine, I used it daily for a few years. It had the induction motor with the expanding pulley, like a variomatic transmission, which increased the spin speed to a dazzling 800 rpm. The SA machine was dual-labelled in English and Afrikaans, eg: Was/Wash and Dry/Droog.

Chris


Post# 300548 , Reply# 13   12/31/2069 at 18:00 (19,810 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

Would you really want to use washers left behind at a LEAD mine?I would suppose that is why they were abandoned-probably used to wash miners clothes-and out of the mine-probably covered with lead ore.

Post# 300553 , Reply# 14   9/1/2008 at 05:43 (5,687 days old) by vivalalavatrice ()        
it is an Imperial Rex Automatic.

WONDERFULL!!!

I thought Rex was an exclusive Italian Zanussi brand... but honestly I've never seen a machine like that before...

Paul, have you got some pictures more to share with use, please?!
Thank you very much!

Bye
Diomede


Post# 300651 , Reply# 15   9/1/2008 at 13:25 (5,686 days old) by eddy1210 (Burnaby BC Canada)        
The Hotpoint Microprofile

eddy1210's profile picture
It seems almost out of place amongst the older models. What year do you think that one's from?

Post# 300655 , Reply# 16   9/1/2008 at 13:46 (5,686 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)        

mayken4now's profile picture
did they used to "hoofDeVase"?

Post# 300658 , Reply# 17   9/1/2008 at 14:02 (5,686 days old) by hotpoint95622 (Powys)        
Hotpoint 95622

hotpoint95622's profile picture
Oh, it hearts to see that liberator, so many of us want one; you can almost here it crying for help and to be loved again.

Lee


Post# 300846 , Reply# 18   9/2/2008 at 13:04 (5,685 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Cheers David and Chris for letting me know.

My mate from Cardiff also confirmed it as a Bendix machine too, so that is three of you.
Knowing just makes the pain worse though - a round door Bendix, Hoover electron and class Ariston/Colston slowly rotting away.

But, as Rex mentions, they will probably be riddled with Galena dust (lead ore) and probably a wee bit poisonous.
Nevertheless, still a real shame.


Below is a piccy of the Bendix 7133 Autowasher Electronic.
Hey ho!
Paul


Post# 300848 , Reply# 19   9/2/2008 at 13:13 (5,685 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Corrr blimey Chris - you have a Hotpoint Microprofile 9560!!!!

Be great to see some piccies of that - although maybe in a nicer thread! too depressing to have a Microprofile on this one methinks?!

A mate of mine encountered a 9560 in Wales a couple of maonths ago and left his details with the owners.
The bearings on it were on the way out - we arent holding our breaths, but dream of the day a phonecall comes!

My underdstanding of the 9560 is that it was the first generation of Microprofiles, released as top of the front loader range in 1987 (in the UK anyway).

There were three initial versions:

9559 1200rpm machine
9560 1300rom machine (quite possibly the only time Hotpoint did a 1300rpm machine!)
&
9561 1400 rpm machine


The letters do symbolise the colours:

9560A would be an almond cabinet machine with a brown facia and door surround.
9560W would be a white cabinet machine with brown facia and door surround.
9560P would be a polar white machine with white facia and white door surround on a white cabinet.

Hope this helps a bit.
Great that a first generation Microprofile is in safe hands.
Cheers
Paul


Post# 300849 , Reply# 20   9/2/2008 at 13:17 (5,685 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Hi Diomede.
Afraid I dont have any more pics of this machine.
The image I have is from a scan of, I think, the 1963 or 1964 'Which' magazine.

The piccy of the REX in the kitchen is only the second time I have ever sen an image of the machine.

I had no idea that they were affiliated with Zanussi. Would that mean that 'Imperial REX' was the precursor brand prior to the introduction of Zanussi to the UK?

Glad you enjoyed the pic.
Cheers
Paul


Post# 301152 , Reply# 21   9/3/2008 at 15:47 (5,684 days old) by lurkalot ()        

Hello, all,

I am the owner of the 1960s kitchen photograph, taken by my father in 1963. Curiosity got the better of me, and I've just called in to see how my picture was being used!

Nevertheless, I am pleased that matchboxpaul asked if the machine was a REX, because until now, I always believed that the machine (the family's first) was a Hotpoint. As soon as I saw the word 'Rex', I immediately associated it with the word 'Imperial', ably confirmed by matchboxpaul's subsequent post.

I can remember the day it was delivered, and how we kids (three of us) sat infront of it for seemingly hours on end just watching all our clothes going round, as if it were some sort of new television entertainment.

Our marvellous new machine replaced a green coloured copper and mangle. It survived our move to Bostall Heath in 1966, but became less reliable until finally replaced in 1971. By then, our marvellous new machine was being referred to as 'that bloody machine', a sad indictment to something which had taken our family out of the 1950s and into a new effort-free era.

Still, I am pleased that my old picture has been enjoyed by many here.

best wishes,

Steve Thoroughgood


Post# 301157 , Reply# 22   9/3/2008 at 16:08 (5,684 days old) by lurkalot ()        

Incidentally, we DID realise the controls were at the back of the machine, and it was never plumbed in at either of its two locations! I can remember helping my mum to pull the machine out from under the worktop on wash days.

As an aside, our Crayford house was of interest in that it was built by Vickers in 1917, as part of their 'Barnes Cray Garden Village' built for the local workforce. Apart from occasional redecoration, it remained unmodified whilst in our possession.

Steve


Post# 301194 , Reply# 23   9/3/2008 at 16:59 (5,684 days old) by electron800 ()        
OH MY GOD!!!

I just realised this mine is about 15 miles from me!!!

Methinks I might have to have a look out there at some point =]


Post# 301341 , Reply# 24   9/4/2008 at 05:50 (5,684 days old) by robm (Buxted)        
Welcome Steve (Lurkalot)

robm's profile picture
Great thread Paul, despite my nostalgia thread I love these machines, such a shame these have rotted so much. It somehow reminds me of the West Pier in Brighton, a thing of great engineering and design left to rack and ruin!

Hi Steve, thanks for the low down on the Rex. It's always great to here about older machines. Bizarre really they put the controls at the back.

All the best

Rob


Post# 301398 , Reply# 25   9/4/2008 at 13:14 (5,683 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Welcome Steve.

I feel like a naughty school boy who has been upto mischief and been caught out!

I really do hope you dont mind too much me posting the picture of your kitchen.
When i stumbled across it, whilst searching through Flickr, I initially thought it was a picture of a National Trust restored property!
I was over the moon - the picture exudes nostalgia and is of a really high quality and, as I have said above, everyone should take pictures of rooms in their house - the nostalgia trip is incredible.

It was, of course, the white box which caught my eye and then......well....you know what has followed.

This is only the second ever image i have seen of the Imperial Rex automatic and i only knew what it was, after the passage of a couple of hours, due to being in possession of Which Magazine from November 1964.

Here is a bit of info on your first automatic washing machine:

made in italy
cold water fill only
max load 8ib
noise - fairly quiet
vibration - slight
radio interference - moderate on LW and MW, slight on BBC TV
cost £72 9s

I take it it was abit of an effort to move. My grandparents automatic was a mid 1970s machine and was a real wight to move about. When my grandfather died, in 1983, it had to be permanently plumbed in in order to avoid my grandmother doing herself some damage.

Can I pick your brains a little bit?
You mention it became a tad unreliable - anything in particular?
can you remember what replaced it at all?

I am so glad that you are able to appreciate the enjoyment i had in finding it and the excitement others have had in seeing it.

Have to say - i am a bit perplexed! how on earth did you find the picture on this site/thread?

Once again - welcome to the site and thankyou for posting your fantastic pictures on the internet, for the world to see.

Regards
Paul



Post# 301400 , Reply# 26   9/4/2008 at 13:15 (5,683 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        
Please Matthew.....

if you do go up there - be careful!

The takers of the photos did say that there were 'chavs' about the place.
Really dont want you getting into a problem.

Paul


Post# 301724 , Reply# 27   9/5/2008 at 18:53 (5,682 days old) by lurkalot ()        

Hello, Paul,

Thank you very much for the welcome. Please be assured that I really don't mind you using my photo for this group, so don't feel too guilty! I am flattered enough to think it was deemed worthy in the first place. By the way, and in case you were wondering, other photos in my Flickr collection are mainly of local history interest (appertaining to the London Borough of Bexley), and a good quantity of public road transport photos taken in various parts of the country over the past 40 years or so.

How I found the photo here was quite easy and no real mystery. On Flickr, I am presented with daily stats which show a list of sites from which referral has been made. Having selected the visible link to automaticwasher.org, finding the relavent thread wasn't too much of a problem. My picture received 49 views over a three day period, unusually high for one of my boring old photos! I figured that with this many views, the thread on which it appeared must already contain quite a few recent messages, so fairly easy for me to locate.

Regarding the Rex's unreliability and it's subsequent replacement, these are details I will ask my mum or my brother assuming either can remember. My recollections of the replacement are rather vague, although I recall a black maker's plaque with the model number or type shown against a copper colour background near the top of the machine, possibly spanning the entire width. I will endeavour to find out and let you know. Of one thing I am certain is that it never appeared in any photographs!

The Rex info you have supplied is interesting, least of all the cost of a new machine in 1964. We were never 'well heeled' as a family in those days, with dad as the sole wage-earner in a not particularly well paid job in the City. £72 must have been an awful lot for them to scrimp and save at the time, a fact not entirely appreciated by us kids!

best wishes,

Steve


Post# 302654 , Reply# 28   9/10/2008 at 03:23 (5,678 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Service Wash Indeed...!!!

chestermikeuk's profile picture
Wow, I bet this was a canteen laundry washing loads of greasy spoon towels after feeding the masses!!! (my theory anyway) the Bendix looks like an early 7100 series silver machine, I`m sure the later brown ones had the water connections across not down..

That poor Hottie, I thought it was a dryer at first, interesting graphics on the early models...the Colston is a favourite, just like the styling & the graphics, very quiet in operation ....

The Rex Imperial was for its time was well ahead of the field in terms of looks & style, very simple & stylish, & in some ways looks just as good in Steves family kitchen as it would have in an Italian Designer showroom..

Hi Steve, welcome to the club, fascinating insight into the Rex automatic Washer and your family days! Did you ever get chance to use it in your later days???

Cheers, Mike


Post# 303026 , Reply# 29   9/11/2008 at 12:06 (5,676 days old) by lurkalot ()        

Hi, Mike,

I didn't start using washing machines until 1983. I was about 12 or 13 years of age when our Rex was disposed of!

Steve



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