Wigan Album

This equipment was the height of home entertainment in 1950s - far better than a Wii.
People would come and sit in the front to watch slideshows of themselves and others from exotic days out to Southport, Blackpool and Rivington and sup all the tea. Grand visual entertainment in the conversational style.
The cine is a Specto coming almost certainly from Wildings in Wigan on the weekly installment plan. It is labelled inside 31/12/1955 - Happy New Year!
The Aldis Minor still projector has been heavily rebuilt and modified to show transparencies from roll as well as cartidge to go with the 620s. It probably came from one of many "junk" shops in Manchester - how unfair! More properly, army surplus or ex-army these places were Aladdin's Caves of wireless sets - transmitters as well as just receivers (illegal without a licence)- binoculars, compasses, tape recorders and loads of good interesting stuff like that. It involved a very long LUT bus ride to get there or the train to Victoria. You could buy a wireless set for the difference between the train and bus fares.
This equipment's still in good order - tough job trying to buy a bulb for one though.