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Wireless sets (or radio’s as they are now known) were the only form of broadcast home entertainment in the early to mid-20th century. A radio was seen as essential by most people during World War Two, and Somercotes did have its own radio retailers and repairers.

After the war, television became more established, and many were sold for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. Even so, televisions would have been fairly rare in the village. It was not until the very late 1950s and early 1960s that television became a common household necessity. Television retailers also did a reasonable trade in the repair of the equipment, as they used valves and not solid state components. Televisions were expensive and would have been bought on “hire purchase” or rented.

The same retailers often sold gramophones or record players. The records could also be purchased locally, and Frank Mycroft continued to sell 45 rpm records well into the 1960s.

ADVERTISEMENT: An advert for F. E. Mycroft, Langley Avenue, Somercotes. The date of the advert is not known but is probably from around the 1940s, and prior to his move to Nottingham Road.