Re taking a soldering iron to customer's houses, I came across this picture while in one of my homesick browsing modes.
I thought it looked familiar (changed now of course) but then it came to me. Brand new type transformer quick heat, supplied by PYE. Plugged it in and pulled the trigger. Large bang and pall of smoke. It was one of the few places left that was still on DC.
http://www.francisfrith.com/search/e...er_C136040.htm
My old house at Walton on Naze was wired for the first time in about 1948...not counting a couple of light sockets downstairs. We had a 15a Bakelite plug that was of course unshielded, but it had a curved protuberance with a square section block that was pushed up or down in that crescent bulge. They lasted until I was about 30, abused with all kinds of overloads, and never, ever protested with the slightest fizzing. I suppose it would cost too much to make things as well as that now.