The Family Washboard.

The Family Washboard.

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In the late 1800’s right through to the middle 1900’s a washboard such as the one in the photo above was in regular use during the Monday washday. By rubbing the clothes over the ripple section of the board using a good block of Sunlight soap the lady of the house would ensure to get her whites sparkling white and her coloured items bright.

Then as the washing machine with its built on power wringer came along, the washboard became a thing of the past, till Lonnie Donegan came along came and resurrected the washboard, with an old tea chest, a broom handle and piece of string, plus a cheap Spanish guitar and the age of Skiffle was born. Also many mothers lost their metal needle finger stools, as this was needed to make the washboard sound audible.

One song that he made famous was “My old man’s a dustman.” Plus of course “The Cumberland Gap.”