General Chat

Yesterday I saw a lady pushing a REAL pram, it looked new, are they coming back into fashion? I had one where the body lifted off for putting on back seat of car, and the rest folded down to put in boot, of course nowadays you couldn't have a baby in a car like that. Val

I had Beautiful Prams for my first son a Navy Blue Bassinett made by Royale. Next I had a White and Navy Bassinet made by London Baby Carriage Company then a White and Black Wilson, in those day's we used to walk everywhere, when I had my last son I remember having a soft body lift of style and then mclarens buggies. The Big Bassinetts now cost over £700.

I had one where the body came off and a pushchair fitted on. A *PEDIGREE*... black. Had it for 3 babies and gave it away to someone... still in good nick. Baby number 4 had big Green CHURCHILL. I think the babies today look all quished up, and uncomfortable. *NOW.... leave me alone girls..... My memories, right??? LOL Deanna X

I had a blue silvercross pram, very bouncy. Babies can stretch out much more in prams. Heather x

Wonderful Memories this brings back. Also much more comfortable for the baby. Sue

Jack Hampshire, of Bettenham Manor, Kent, began collecting prams in the 1970s, after realising that the large coach built prams were beginning to disappear. Modern trends of travelling with a baby by car, which began around this time, saw the demise of many of the eminent pram makers of the time in the UK .Jack and his wife Vicky spent many days exploring junk shops and searching out once loved, now neglected carriage prams all over the country. First and foremost a conservationist, He endeavoured to repair and restore his finds- and what began with just a few carriages , became the largest Baby carriage collection in the world, housed in his Beautiful Fifteenth century manor House at Bettenham, near Biddenden , Kent, England. Bought from the Sackville –West family estate, who had lived at adjacent Sissinghust. The collection spans over 130 years and includes a fine range of prams from Early Mail carts, Edwardian Carriages, through prams from the interwar years and has a fine collection of British post war prams through to the present day. Within the collection there are many examples from the finest British prestigious pram makers –Millsons, London Baby Coach, Marmet, Osnath, and many examples of the Silver Cross and Wilson prams from the past 40 years. The collection is held in a charitable Trust and has benefited from kind donations of many carriages prams. The trust continues to purchase unusual prams to keep adding to the collection where appropriate. The aims of the Trust are to advise individuals on their old family pram-and will help you date and name your pram, where possible, and offer any advice you may require. We offer special group tours by arrangement 6 times per year, and have a number of prams which can be hired out for Television and stage use from each era. The museum collection is open from 10-5pm weekdays, except on Wednesday and on Saturday 10-5pm.

I also had a big blue silver cross pram with a tray underneath and as cosy as my first born looked in it I had to get rid in the end. It was so impractical and just wasn't the sort of pram you could transport on the bus easily without a million pairs of hands. Bought a lovely McClaren instead. Sue xx

Silvercrossthat was the name I was trying to remember when I saw the pram being pushed along. My pram was bought for son born early 1968 and used again for son born late 1970. We then moved abroad, so sold the pram, when another son was born in 1975, I had a carry cot on frame. When we moved back we bought a 'bucket type' pushchair for him, and still have it. The granddaughters played with it last summer.

i had a silver cross pram for all my children my youngest is now 13 and when i went into town i was the only one who had one of these prams. All my friends had their poor kids crammed into one of those umberella type buggies I understand the practicality of them if you have to get on the bus but you cant beat the comfort and safety of a real pram

We used to have an Osnath pram, made locally. I was so ugly, my mother used to PULL my pram, so I,m told. Nappy days

I agree with Denna, why do mums put babies in car seats when there not even in a car ,stuck on top off a push chair? Further more where do they put their shopping? Got my photo albums out now looking at my babies in their prams oww.......................... ironing never going to be finnished!! Hayley

was trying to think what brand mine was, the mention of Tansad rings a bell, had shopping shelf underneath, and when first child was older a seat to go on top. I hate these 'new, pushchairs, the wheels wobble all over the place!!

You can still buy Silver Cross coachbuilt new (expensive! - £895) I had a secondhand one for my 2 babies (£70)......just used it when out walking....had an ordinary one for car/bus etc With a coachbuilt pram you get stopped even more by old ladies than usual! Sometimes they even remember to comment on the lovely baby, but usually just the pram! LOL Merry

Hi Val, My Daughter has a real pram, bought four years ago for eldest grandchild. Its great, has a pram tray, sprung chasis, takes a proper sun canapy. The pram body lifts off and a proper push chair (forward facing) fits on the chasis. So comfy for the baby & so easy to push. I love it ! Kathleen

I desperately wanted a 'proper' pram when little sprite was born nearly 8yrs ago and all my friends said how impractical it would be...but I really regret not getting one now :-( Ended up getting a 2 in 1 and never liked it and sold it as soon as little sprite grew out of it!!! The prams nowadays that have detachable carrycots...certain ones only.....now have straps for putting them on the back seat of car like they used to do years ago!! I like the big old hardbodied ones that were silvercross I think.....quite dear 8yrs ago at £500 and then you got car seat prices on top so can understand wwhy people now are opting for travel systems..they work out cheaper....was really surprised to see someone seen one for £895!!!! that's inflation for you!!! RDA.x.

RDA - that price was from the Silver Cross website! Merry

Good grief!!! What a price!!! If you bought that from a 'baby' shop you could easily whack another hundred or so on it!!! Can you actually buy direct from the maker now??? I'm looking at prams etc of late (no I'm not before you ask!! lol) we're adopting and have said we'd take a little un.....and sold all my baby stuff after having little sprite....so now have to start again!!! Will obviously wait until I know what age to expect etc but have been having a general nosey around to see what's changed since 8yrs....quite a lot!!! RDA.x.

I had a purple/multicoloured silver cross 2 in one (bought 1995) The carry cot bit was a generous size and enabled both of mine to lay flat for the first 4-5 months After thay grew out of that, the carry cot bit was detatched and a generous bucket seat became the pushchair. Facing towards me for the first couple of years and facing forward thereafter. It had a metal tray underneath..And had the covers, parasol, footmuff etc all matching..it was brilliant Elaine x

My prams were silvercross and great, but I can't resist telling you a true story............my son now aged 27 was run over by a silver cross pram when he was two.........we were shopping on the high street and he was trotting along holding on to one of the collection of bags I had in each hand when he must have tripped as he fell sideways....next thing a vast and expensive pram coming the other way started to run over him! as I looked down he was in between the two sets of wheels, and the nit wit woman was going to run the others over him to move the pram but two policemen patrolling took over, holding up pedestrians and lifting off the pram, it was so funny I could'nt help laughing, son was uninjured just indignant, he had a tyre mark across his mothercare anorak, all the way home he kept pointing to it and saying LOOK......... Barbara..xx

memories, memories, I had a navy silvercross one, it was the flat based one so you could unclip it put the pram part with baby in the car and fold the rest up and put in boot. was brill, used to walk to the shops and load up bottom with shopping. my daughter used to sleep in the pram in the front garden [open plan] in the mornings while I got on with whatever I was doing in the kitchen [our kitchen was in the front] and the dog would be out there guarding her. Mind you, one pram base with baby in, plus one large dog on the back seat of a Vauxhall viva was a squeeze but we managed it.