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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Amy Reast & John Bett

'We live like it's the 1930s with no phone or washing machine - people think we're mad'

A couple has ditched modern life and live every day like it's the 1930s - only paying with cash and making all phone calls on a landline.

Lisa Fletcher, 58, and her husband, 55-year-old Neil, only watch a black and white TV, own a 1930s fridge, and drive a car that's almost 100-years-old.

They listen to music on gramophones and have wardrobes bursting full of original 1930s fashion, after Lisa came up with the idea of living an authentic 1930s lifestyle.

She convinced engineer Neil to get on board after they married in 1991 and although the pair get some funny looks Lisa said they would never go back to modern-day living.

Neil and Lisa's home looks like a museum (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

What do you think about the pair's 1930s life? Let us know in the comments...

The authentic couple have lived in three houses, and moved into their current home six years ago which they have been turning into their 1930s haven ever since.

The house is complete with original fireplace, furniture and even appliances - including a working enamel cooker and 1935 Westinghouse fridge.

They pay for everything in cash and use a landline over mobile phones - and housewife Lisa even prefers to do the washing by hand using a mangle.

Lisa cleans her home with a 1930s vacuum cleaner (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

Lisa, of Watchet, Somerset, said: "I was always interested in history from a child - I never liked shopping like other schoolgirls but I used to drag a huge history book around with me.

"After Neil and I married, I bought a few art deco pieces for the house until eventually he got on board and started buying them as well.

"We decided to go full 20s and 30s high style - for me it had to be full on glamour.

The pair are committed to their vintage lifestyle (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

"I think people assume we're like something from Dickensian England, sat here by flickering candlelight - but it's not like that.

"But everything in our house has a story - if I woke up and it was all modern I'd lock myself in a cupboard and not come out!

"When people see us in the street they sometimes ask if we're off to a wedding because of how we dress.

"I think people see us as completely barking mad, but I couldn't imagine anything else."

The furnishings are vintage too, even the light switches (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

Lisa told how shortly after getting married, she raised the idea of living her 1930s dream with Neil - although at first he was not convinced.

Lisa resolved to just make a few additions to their home, but over time, she noticed Neil also began to spot interesting items of the same style.

Eventually, they agreed to go 'full twenties and thirties'.

The couple decked out their first home, a cottage, with as much original 1930s design as possible, but also adopted the lifestyle.

Lisa loves listening to music (James Dadzitis / SWNS)
She cooks all of their food, and the pair never eat processed meals (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

Over time their entire wardrobes were filled with original 1930s clothing to complete their vintage lifestyle.

Lisa said: "I never thought I'd actually find the clothes.

"I always wanted to dress this way, but nobody who does ever tells you where they get their clothes.

"Eventually I was tipped off by someone about a business and they have basically supplied me with my entire wardrobe.

"We also go to car boot sales and charity shops a lot.

Neil drives a vintage car, and dresses in 1930s fashion (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

"I've got a real thing for gloves - we joke that if I buy any more I could look after a coach party."

Six years ago, the couple moved into their current home, a much more spacious three bed house in Watchet.

The property had been entirely gutted by previous owners so they set to work restoring it to become a 1930s haven where they would live out their dream.

Their 1930s renovation goes right down to the detail of the skirting boards, light switches, doorknobs and original cabinets.

They don't use a mobile phone or have any mod cons (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

The pair snatched up an original 1929 Jackson grey enamel cooker for £250, which is in perfect working condition and used every day.

They also have a 1935 Westinghouse fridge which was purchased on eBay - and one of only a handful of its kind still being used in the world.

Lisa said: "Buying everything second hand, it all comes with a story. Everything comes from somewhere.

"We bought this fridge when the owner told us 'if you want it, you have to come tomorrow' so we had to drop everything and rush to London that day to collect it.

Neil and Lisa have spent years collecting vintage furniture (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

"We always end up on lots of little adventures."

Their kitchen also has a full 1930s dinner service with original cutlery, glasses, table clothes and crockery for their traditional Sunday meals.

But their prized possessions are their three gramophones, on which they listen to their 1930s music from vinyl records.

Lisa said that their record collection was one reason to move into a larger home, as "we had so many records in our collection that it was making the ceiling bow."

The pair enjoy the simpler things in life (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

She said: "I love my gramophone and I love my music.

"When I go into the kitchen and lay the tablecloth with all my bits and pieces, then play our music, I just think how lovely it all is."

They also have a smaller one which they take out when they pack up a picnic basket to go for a picnic, in true 1930s style.

But not only is their house entirely 1920s and 1930s - but also their lifestyle reflects the era.

Aside from a mobile phone Neil uses for work, they stick to a landline phone.

Their house is full of vintage items (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

They keep their use of online banking and cards to virtually zero in favour of traditional cash-in-hand purchasing.

They have one tiny TV purchased for £100 from ASDA, which they only plug in when they want to use it - although only to watch black and white shows and films.

While Neil is out at work, Lisa stays home to cook and clean - and opts to wash by hand and dry using a traditional mangle over using a washing machine and tumble drier.

Every week they have a traditional Sunday dinner sat around the table - and everything is homemade, with no processed food in sight.

Their cocktail cupboard is full of antique glass-ware (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

Lisa said: "I cook everything from scratch and do all my own baking.

"You'd be surprised the amount of food that came out in the 1920s and 1930s, and everything we eat is from that time.

"We do eat a lot of pies like cottage pie, which I suppose is a bit old fashioned.

"Nothing modern like fajitas - never has a tortilla come into this house!"

Neil and Lisa make breakfast at their home (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

The couple, who have no children, know they don't fit the mould, but they live the life that works for them.

Lisa said: "Sometimes we have wandered through a modern home showroom, just out of curiosity.

"They must have thought we looked strange walking through with our hats and handbags!

Their gramophone is the pair's most prized possession (James Dadzitis / SWNS)

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"But you see it look so clean and neat and lovely and realise it says nothing about you at all, there's no identity.

"Whereas everything in our home has a story, it comes from somewhere and has its own history."

Lisa told how they get mixed reactions to their lifestyle - with some people supporting it and others a little bewildered.

She said: "I hope people will accept what we do and why - some are very complimentary but other people have been very rude in the past.

"I think some people just think we're barking mad!

"I don't think our families really understand it but we're not all the same and it can't suit everyone.

"They were surprised by how nice our home was when they came to visit, though!"

Despite what anyone thinks, Lisa told how they will never go back to a modern lifestyle.

She said: "I love it and I can't ever imagine anything else.."

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk

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