What did people do of an evening?

[kateblogs]

Nowadays, we have a wealth of home entertainment, but that hasn't always been the case, and I have been wondering, what did people do in the evening before the advent of radio, tv, cinema and so on? I know that it was normal to go to bed a lot earlier than we do now, but there must still have been a couple of hours before that when people needed to find some form of entertainment. In period dramas middle class family are depicted singing around a piano, was that normal? And what about working class people, would they have had the means to buy a piano? Or would they have done something else?

[stanmapstone]

Went to the Pub

Stan

[Erato]

I think they darned socks, pieced together quilts, repaired and sharpened farm tools, shucked corn, learned to read and write, and other such useful activities.

[Suziesmith37]

When I was a girl

Only the 60's but not many tellies around then, my 'Aunties' used to gather one evening a week to play 'Penny Nap' and other card games.  I was allowed to watch but only if not heard!

My Auntie Enid(also my Godmother) taught me how to play solitaire, where you have a cross shape and the marbles/or pegs jump over one another and you remove one and the aim was to have just one left on the board.  Her mother taught her the solution and Auntie Enid always said it took away the pleasure of the game, as she could never lose now!

We also played a game using a big wooden board on which you could place up to six different sets of coloured marbles and had to work your way to the opposite side of the board.  I still have the marbles (some would dispute that ) but the board has since gone to the dreaded worm.

Su

[silvery]

There would have been a variation between country and city life.

There's also differences between post WW2, between the wars, pre WW1, nineteenth century etc. 

Post ww2 there wasn't all the entertainment at home that there is today.  A radio was novel, but there were cinemas, and dances. Even thirty years ago most homes had one tv (can't remember how many channels and it wasn't on all day and night) and the pubs shut at 10.30pm, but there were a few late night clubs.
 
You could do a whole book on it all - probably someone has - entertainment through the ages'.

But you're probably thinking Victorian times I expect.  I'll have to investigate. 

[willow154]

Hi everyone,
Think Silvery is probably right - depends where you lived.
Towns would have their musical halls and pubs, as Stan pointed out.
For the more serious minded, who wanted to improve their lot in life, there was the opportunity to learn and study at the new Mechanics Institutes in the towns. (Celebraties like Dickens came).
Churches had more influence - my ancestors ran a mission hall, in Ilkeston, for the families who had moved up from the Black Country - activities for the children, singing, etc etc. (they were Wesleyan Methodists).
Sure I'll think of something else - bear with me.
Kind regards,
Paulene.

[silvery]

This could be a really interesting thread if everyone contributed, like Suzie has, what they used to do. 

I've always read a lot, didn't get a telly [b &w] until Iwas about ten, (a deprived childhood  ).   I had aunts who knitted and sewed, and my mum used to knit a little and so did I at one time.  Women who went to the pub were a bit 'fast' until about the 60s (my mum used to go!! for half an hour at the end).  I'll have to think what else, it's getting late.

Just seen Paulene's post - a bit like mine I think!    It's very interesting.

[aghadowey]

My father-in-law used to talk about going to dances in the local halls throughout the countryside (in days before cars everyone went by bike or walked), there were local plays produced, suppers in halls (my mother-in-law used to talk about ladies bringing long white linen cloths to spread over the boards used for tables, cups, saucers, kettles, sandwiches and lots of home-baking, etc.)
At home the ladies did mending, knitting, letterwriting, newspapers were read, later on the radio (always called the wireless in our house) was a big entertainment. Children played card games and board games (we still have the marbles with a metal board for Chinese chequers that was mentioned above). There was lots of visiting friends and neighbours all year round with ceilis held in certain houses where someone could play the fiddle with singing and dancing.

[geniecolgan]

I'm not sure about the evenings but I'm pretty certain that the pub, at the end of the working day, was most usual for the Gents, at least for an hour or so.

I had it firsthand from my Grandmamah, who was a "proper" Edwardian lady   that on Sundays they went to the parks where brass bands played. However, she seemed to know all the old Music Hall songs so I think she maybe had a few nights out on the tiles