January 2026
This month, we are going back to 1950 and Dunbar High Street, featuring the well known and much frequented Gift Shop. Research and text by Dr James Herring.
The Gift Shop was a go–to venue in the 1950s for baby prams and a selection was on show inside. One of the prams on offer was the Sun Car and this site describes the pram as Collapses into small space for taking in car or on train. Chromium plated reversible handle, tubular sides and dressguards. 9″ wheels and one-piece dressguards. In Merton Blue, Reseda Green, Sand or brown. A dressguard was a cover on the pram to stop blankets or clothing catching on the wheels. Merton Blue was a vivid blue, Reseda Red refers to earthy, muted, or brownish-red shade, rather than a bright, primary red. These were gifts for affluent children as in 1950, when the advert was posted in the Hsddingtonshire Courier, very few people had a car and train travel was expensive for most of the population.
This appeal (in the photo above) to women shoppers in Dunbar – demands on your purse – was a common feature of shops like the Gift Shop or the Co-Op in the 1950s, with the advert encouraging saving over 17 weeks before Xmas. The festive season was a boom time for The Gift Shop as people bought a variety of gifts including (see below) children’s Xmas presents. Supermarkets today still have Xmas clubs in which shoppers can invest, although this site states Many supermarkets urge you to save for bonuses in their savings schemes year-round – though as the money’s not protected should the scheme go bust, this isn’t recommended. Yet for many schemes, you can bag the rewards by just putting your money in them for a day.
Triang chain-driven tricycles were popular – if not particularly cheap – Xmas gifts for chidren and you can see an example here. Google’s A1 overview states that Tri-ang (Lines Bros) chain-driven tricycles in the 1950s UK were popular, sturdy children’s vehicles featuring robust steel frames, often with white solid rubber tires and rear storage boots. Common models included the Juvenile Carrier, Imp, and Junior, frequently painted in bright colors like blue, red, or cream.
Dolls’ prams were also very popular at this time, with a wide selection on offer. See here for a range of examples from the 1950s, including the Silver Cross Range e.g. the Royale (photo). Dolls’ prams are still popular it appears and can be bought at sites like this one. From a feminist perspective, dolls’ prams may reinforce gender roles.
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