13 Genius Features Your 1960s British Home Had That Builders Will Never Put Back

One fire did five jobs. A room that stayed cool all summer with no electricity. A window that ventilated itself with no fan. A floor that restoration specialists now charge hundreds to uncover. Every one of these features was built into British homes before anyone thought to call them clever. They were simply how houses were built. Then we modernised. We ripped out the cast iron range and put in a gas cooker. We bricked up the pantry and bought a fridge. We carpeted over the Victorian tiles and plastered over the picture rails and replaced the sash windows with sealed units that cannot ventilate. And now we pay specialists thousands to put back what was already there. Fifteen features. Fifteen decisions we are still living with.