Valuables
Estate residents' most important possessions aren't necessarily expensive items. A prayer book, a bead given by the owner's grandmother, a friendship
necklace, and a British soldier's German-manufactured slide-rule which measured airfi elds in Kenya, are all examples of objects that have special value to people living here. A Turkish Nazar blue amulet, which protects against bad luck, is a feature of St Mary's chip shop, whilst Alison's necklace is a symbol of the future she and her
boyfriend are planning.
Toys & Play
Toys and play items refl ect many aspects of an area – is a craze popular all over the country or just in your school? The most popular toys, taken everywhere, are often lost or damaged, never making it to museums. We've managed to capture images of a selection of play items that may not survive long term, which show some favourite items in 2016.
... mum and dad bought us one toy each for Christmas... we just made do, we just didn’t have them then so you made up things...
Household and Home
As Gascoigne moves through the regeneration process, some objects may be the last remaining elements of a former atthe valve from a hot water cylinder, a lock and key that used to secure a home. But other objects demonstrate moving forward; a Disney keyring from a family holiday that will hold the key of a new home, and mugs that will be firrst out of the removal box for a restorative hot drink. Meanwhile, the chip shop in St Mary's holds together the old and the new.
Sweets
Sweets can be a re flection of social history and generational changes; the Curly Wurly generation may turn their noses up at today's super-sour Toxic
Waste. Older confectioneries such as gobstoppers or chocolate are still available, often reappearing over the decades in new packaging.
Shown here is a selection of sweets favoured by - mostly younger - Gascoigne residents. Which of these will still be popular in fifty years' time?
Identity and Language
The 2011 census showed that along with English there are seventy- five diff erent languages spoken in
Gascoigne Ward, re flected in the range of formats available via agencies and the local council. In 2016 a passport doesn't just show where you are from,
it confo rms who you are, and is a key proof of identity in the UK, for work, driving, financial transactions and many others.
For younger people, plastic cards with readable data replace bus and tube tickets – and even cash to buy schooldinners.
