The 1950s was a time of regeneration and change for Southampton. For children growing up during this decade, life was changing fast. They still made their own toys and earned their own pocket money, but, on new television sets, Andy Pandy (1950) and Bill and Ben (1952) delighted them. With rationing discontinued, confectionary was on the menu again and, for children, Southampton life in the 1950s was sweet. If you saw a Laurel and Hardy performance at The Gaumont Theatre, or made dens out of bombed-out buildings, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy this charming and nostalgic account of the era.

PENNY LEGG is a writer and photographer, resident in Southampton. A former Navy wife, she has accompanied her husband across the globe on diplomatic postings. A member of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists, the National Union of Journalists and the Bitterne Historical Society, she edits The Woman Writer magazine and tutors non-fiction for The Writers Bureau. JAMES MARSH was born at the start of the Second World War into a family of six children. He grew up to accept the harshness of life in the 1940s and carried his experiences of living through the war with him as he grew up.