Oil cloth was used a lot in the 40s and 50s in the houses in Belfast and other places. It all depended how thick it was, as regards the cost, some was not a lot thicker than newspaper, this was cheap and favoured by the working classes,there was different designs for different places in the Small Houses..small black and white squares like checker boards, was popular for the small scullery, one disadvantage of this was killing The Cockroaches in the morning when you got up for work. When you lit the gas mantle on a cold winter morning the Roaches ran about in all directions, they where mostly congregated around the old black lead fire grates, hundreds of them as a young boy I had heavy boots with shods on the heels and toes...I wont go into details of what we done with the Roaches, but it was not pleasant, and really they were only doing what we were doing trying to do survive. Not one of the better memories I had of those days.
As regards lino or oil cloth, whatever you want to call it. As a teenager I worked in 4 pubs on the Newtownards Road and none of them had Oil Cloth on the floor, it was always Tiled, for the very good reason almost every man smoked in those days, Between dropping the Cigarette Butts on the floor and and stomping them out with Hob Nailed Boots of workers, mostly Shipyard Workers the Oil Cloth would have had a short life span...The time I am talking about women where not allowed in the Bars only in Boxes 3 or four along the wall...depending on the size of the Pub. There was always a small very heavy course Rope Material Mat at the enterences to the Pubs for wiping the Boots before entering...
