1960s Prices

One pound in 1960 was quite a bit of money. The average manual worker made £14 in a week. 30 shillings (£1.50) would feed the average person for a week. In today's money one pound in 1960 is about £29.
People were a lot poorer in the 1960s. The average weekly pay packet was less than £10 per week. Allowing for inflation that is £150 in today's money. Today average weekly earnings are more than £600.

Houses were a lot cheaper in the 1960s than today. In the first quarter of 1960, an average house cost £2,189 (£33,000 in today’s money).
In the last quarter of 1969, an average house cost £24,312 (£47,500 in today’s money). House prices rose faster than inflation in the 1960s. They were still much more affordable than today. Lenders were more cautious. Banks and building societies lent smaller multiples of income and would only consider a husband's income, not his wife's. The average UK house price was £288,000 in June 2023

The Daily Mirror was Britain's most popular paper in the 1960s. The Daily Express came second and the Daily Telegraph third.
The UK Government's Prices and Incomes Board controlled the prices of newspapers in the 1960s.
Newspaper circulation has halved since the 1960s. Newspapers have to compete with online sources of news.

• Daily Mirror - 1960 (2½d) 1969 (5d) 2019 (75p) 2023 (£1.40)
• Daily Express - 1960 (2½d) 1969 (5d) 2019 (90p) 2023 (£1.30)
• Daily Telegraph - 1960 (2½d) 1969 (5d) 2019 (£2) 2023 (£3.20)

Typical groceries people bought in the 1960s were:

Item	Cost 1965	In today's money	Typical price today
Bread (large loaf)	1s 2½d	£1	59p to £1.10
Butter (1lb)	1s 3d to 2s 10d	80p to £1.81	£3.45 (500g)
Margarine (1lb)	1s 3d to 2s 10d	80p to £1.81	£1.80 (500g Flora Spreadable)
Back bacon (pre-packed, smoked per lb)	4s 10d to 7s 10d	£3.09 to £5	£2.39 to £4.50 (500g)
Eggs - 1 dozen	3s 8d to 4s 6d	£1.22 to £2.87	£1.80 to £3.00
Evaporated milk	1s to 1s 4d	63p to 85p	70p to £1.20
Baked beans (16oz tin)	9d to 1s 3d	48p to 80p	75p
Corned beef (12 oz tin)	1s 11d to 4s 1d	69p to £1.12	£2.60 (340g)
Cornflakes (12 oz)	1s 4d to 1s 10d	85p to £1.17	£1.30 (375g Sainsbury's SO)
Sugar (2lb)	1s 3d to 1s 9d	80p to £1.12	75p (1kg Sainsbury's)
Tea (loose leaf PG Tips ¼lb	1s 4½d to 1s 9d	85p to £1.23	£2 for 250g (approx ½1b

1967 Top Thirteen

Although I was only seven, music was very firmly a part of my life, and I have really strong memories of so many songs, particularly the almost-novelty ones like Excerpt From A Teenage Opera, Happy Jack, Ha Ha Said The Clown and especially Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear. But there were several more conventional hits which still stand up today.

1. The Move - Flowers In The Rain - 09-67
2. The Monkees - I'm A Believer - 01-67
3. Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale - 06-67
4. Aretha Franklin - Respect - 07-67
5. The Small Faces - Itchycoo Park - 09-67
6. Traffic - Hole In My Shoe - 09-67
7. The Supremes - The Happening - 06-67
8. The Four Tops - Walk Away Renee - 12-67
9. Nancy & Frank Sinatra - Somethin' Stupid - 04-67
10. Cliff Richard - The Day I Met Marie - 09-67
11. Petula Clark - Don't Sleep In The Subway - 07-67
12. Sandie Shaw - Puppet On A String - 04-67
13. Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Zabadak - 10-67

And so, so many which nearly made the cut.
Keith West - Excerpt From A Teenage Opera - 09-67
The Who - Happy Jack - 01-67
Manfred Mann - Ha Ha Said The Clown - 04-67
The Alan Price Set - Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear - 03-67
Jeff Beck - Hi-Ho Silver Lining - 05-67
The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset - 05-67
The Bee Gees - Massachusetts - 10-67
The Beatles - Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever - 02-67
The Flowerpot Men - Let's Go To San Francisco - 09-67
Engelbert Humperdinck - Release Me - 02-67
Paul Jones - I've Been A Bad Bad Boy - 02-67
The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated To The One I Love - 05-67
Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) - 07-67
The Tremeloes - Even The Bad Times Are Good - 08-67
Stevie Wonder - I Was Made To Love Her - 08-67
The Young Rascals - Groovin' - 06-67
The Troggs - Love Is All Around - 11-67
The Spencer Davis Group - I'm A Man - 02-67
Cat Stevens - Matthew And Son - 01-67
The Tremeloes - Silence Is Golden - 05-67
The Monkees - Daydream Believer - 12-67
The Seekers - Georgy Girl - 03-67
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze - 04-67
Bobby Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe - 10-67
The Turtles - Happy Together - 04-67
The Four Tops - Bernadette - 04-67
The Johnny Mann Singers - Up Up And Away - 08-67
The Foundations - Baby, Now That I Found You - 10-67
Engelbert Humperdinck - The Last Waltz - 09-67

1960s Hair and Makeup

Women's Hair

Men's Hair

1960s Makeup

The early 60s saw the exaggerated cat eye and full red lip continue. Eyebrows were shaped into subtle peak instead of a high curve. Pink blush was subtle and almost non-existent.
• Powder – Flesh tone.
• Blush – Soft rose pink.
• Eye Shadow – White-pink, purple, light blue, aqua.
• Eye Liner – Dark brown or black, top and bottom lined and extended outwards.
• Lipstick – Deep pink, orange-red.
• Eyebrows – Shaped into a soft peak.

The babydoll look was “in” in the mid 60s. Pale white skin, white lips, bold black eyeliner and heavy eyeshadow made it distinct and dramatic. It was a stark contrast to the girly look of clothing until the mid ’60s, when a layer of childishness was added. Eyes were exaggerated with extra long lashes, shimmer eyeshadow, arched brows, light spot blush, and lips turned to a baby pink pout. Looking back, the combination was a scene from a child-meets-ax-murderer horror movie.
• Powder – Pale, almost white.
• Blush – Warm brown/bronze sculpted the cheeks under the cheekbone.
• Eye Shadow – Frosty-pink, green, blue.
• Eye Liner – Dark brown or black.
• Lipstick – Peach, shimmer pink outlined in a darker lip liner. Slightly overdrawn in the top corners.
• Eye lashes – Add fake eyelashes to top and bottom.
• Eyebrows – Natural and feathered.

For deep skin tones, the pasty white look wouldn’t work, but the other shaping and drawing techniques would still apply. The goal was to create a face that glowed, with dramatic eyes and full lips.
• Powder – Matching skin tone. Foundation: matte.
• Blush – Warm brown/bronze sculpted the cheeks under the cheekbone. Lighter bronze on the cheek apple, nose and chin.
• Eye Shadow – Dark pink, green, blue.
• Eye Liner – Black.
• Lipstick – Deep pink, peach, shimmer pink, red-pink, nude.
• Eye lashes – Add fake eyelashes to top and bottom.
• Eyebrows – Arched in the early years. Peaked in the later years.

The late 60s hippie makeup was the opposite of the Mods (although 1966-1968 hippies wore the mod look.) All natural was the way to go, although many women couldn’t quite adjust to wearing nothing. Instead, they opted for light brown mascara and a clear gloss lip. Face powder was used sparingly as well as a blusher.
• Powder – None or matching skin tone
• Blush – Light pink-brown blush on apples
• Eye Shadow – Skintone colors
• Eye Liner – Top lash brown
• Lipstick – Clear lip gloss or a touch of light pink
• Eye lashes – Light mascara
• Eyebrows – Arched naturally

1966 Top Thirteen

1. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations - 11-66
2. The Bachelors - The Sound Of Silence - 04-66
3. The Mindbenders - A Groovy Kind Of Love - 02-66
4. The Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore - 03-66
5. Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep Mountain High - 06-66
6. The Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There - 10-66
7. Manfred Mann - Pretty Flamingo - 04-66
8. Herman's Hermits - No Milk Today - 10-66
9. The Hollies - Stop Stop Stop - 10-66
10. Tom Jones - Green Green Grass Of Home - 11-66
11. The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon - 06-66
12. The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City - 08-66
13. The Easy Beats - Friday On My Mind - 12-66

And bubbling under:
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Bend It - 10-66
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - 02-66
Cher - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - 04-66
The Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love - 09-66
Cilla Black - Alfie - 04-66
Frank Sinatra - Strangers In The Night - 05-66
The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black - 05-66
Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - 04-66
Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman - 06-66
The Beatles - Paperback Writer - 06-66
Petula Clark - I Couldn't Live Without Your Love - 07-66
The Hollies - Bus Stop - 07-66
Paul Jones - High Time - 11-66
The Kinks - Dedicated Follower Of Fashion - 03-66
LosBravos - Black Is Black - 07-66
The Mamas & The Papas - Monday Monday - 05-66
Manfred Mann - Semi-Detached Suburban Mr.James - 11-66
Chris Montez - The More I See You - 07-66
The New Vaudeville Band - Winchester Cathedral - 10-66
Jimmy Ruffin - What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted - 12-66
The Sandpipers - Guantanamera - 10-66
The Seekers - Morningtown Ride-12-66
Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound - 05-66
The Spencer Davis Group - Keep On Runnin' - 01-66
The Troggs - Wild Thing - 05-66
The Who - Substitute - 04-66

1960s TV shows

At the start of the 60's several TV shows were well established, including the following:

Opportunity Knocks – talent show where public votes decide winners
Dixon of Dock Green – the human side of British policing
What’s My Line? – quiz show about occupations
This is Your life – biographical documentary
Panorama – current affairs programme
Emergency Ward 10 – hospital-based soap
Come Dancing – dancing competition before Strictly

Every year saw new shows - these are some of the ones I enjoyed:
1960
Coronation Street – world’s longest running soap

1961
The Avengers – glamorous espionage series, full of sass and British humour
Songs of Praise – Christian hymns sung in various churches
The Rag Trade – sit-com

1962
Z-Cars – gritty (in its day) police procedural drama
The Saint – mystery spy thriller
Steptoe and Son – sit-com based in scrap-yard


1963

Doctor Who – seminal science fiction drama
World in Action – current affairs documentary series

1964
Top of the Pops – chart-based music show
Horizon – topical scientific issues
The Likely Lads – sitcom set in Liverpool
Crossroads – soap set in a Midlands motel
Not Only … But Also – comedy sketch show

1965
Thunderbirds – iconic sci-fi puppet show
Till Death Us Do Part – sitcom set in East End
Tomorrow’s World – contemporary developments in science & technology

1966
Cathy Come Home – documentary about homelessness
Softly, Softly – police procedural – spin-off from Z-cars
Mission Impossible – spy drama

1967
The Forsyte Saga – tribulations of an upper-class Victorian family
Not in Front of the Children – sit-com
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width – sit-com

1968
Dad’s Army – comic series about the home guard in 1940s
Gardener’s World – all things horticultural
Please Sir – sit-com set in a school

Morecambe and Wise Show – variety show
Father Dear Father – sitcom

1969
Monty Python’s Flying Circus – surreal comedy sketch show
Benny Hill Show – comedy sketch show
Up Pompeii – comedy set in Rome
The Liver Birds – sit-come set in Liverpool
On the Buses – sit-com
Doctor in the House – sit-com
Randall and Hopkirk Deceased – private detective series