8 once-popular jobs your grandparents worked that have vanished

Before we were regularly typing away on touchscreens, phone calls required a little assistance to reach their intended recipient. That’s where the switchboard operators came in.

Nicknamed ‘hello girls’, they manually connected callers by inserting physical cords into sockets on a large board. The last of these centres closed in Britain during the ‘70s and in the US during the ‘80s.

Before the ‘50s and ‘60s, pinsetters or ‘pin boys’ were crucial to executing the perfect evening date for you and your new beau – after a quick stop for an ice cream sundae. 

Hired teens would manually set the pins back up and return bowling balls to players. They didn’t earn much for the risky job and were soon enough replaced by mechanical pinsetters, putting them permanently out of a job by the ‘60s.

From the ‘20s to the ‘50s, cigarette girls were a common sight, carrying trays of cigarettes, cigars and candy to guests enjoying an evening out. 

They were often dressed for the job in themed outfits and ready to charm customers. But mechanisation also ended up replacing this role, with cigarette dispensers arriving in the ‘50s and increased public awareness of the risks of smoking, eventually leading to the UK banning indoor smoking entirely in 2007.

Known as a newsie, newsboy or newspaper hawker, these street salesmen sold copies of that day’s paper to the public, directly on the street.

It might be an unthinkable job today, but it was often performed by working children who needed to contribute to the family income or simply didn’t have a home of their own. Now, these newsies have been replaced with news apps and TV briefings.

Coal heavers did precisely what their name suggests: they heaved coal. Often working in harsh conditions, they would shovel coal off cargo ships ready for transport, filling sacks with coal and delivering them to coal cellars. 

As we’ve increasingly moved away from coal-powered engines and dock labour towards electric and oil fuel, there’s no need for this old role today.

Before CGI explosions and swelling romantic tracks were being blasted into the ears of cinema-goers, silent films had to be a bit creative in adding in a sonic experience for movie fans.

Thankfully, the cinema organist was on hand to provide an accompanying track or keep people entertained during a lull. The ‘talkies’ became a mainstream hit in the late ‘20s, but the organists enjoyed several more decades of popularity as entertainment for guests during breaks.

Pest control contractors are still common enough today, with specialist tools and methods of removal that keep infestations as non-invasive as possible – and hopefully avoid a nasty sight waiting in the kitchen.

However, before these methods were developed, terriers, ferrets and basic snap traps were used to clear out rats where they were unwanted. But with little protective equipment available, you were far more likely to have a nasty scratch and an even nastier infection.

Clocks themselves have undergone a downtick in popularity with our phones, watches and alarm clocks all going increasingly digital. But there’s nothing quite like an old-fashioned chime, even if you might struggle to get the timing perfect.

Clock winders used to be just the people for the job, winding and setting weight- or spring-driven clocks with a special key. Occasionally, this old job makes a cameo with special ceremonial roles like the Royal Collection Trust keeping the tradition of winding going.