Fridge from 1930s still chilling after 90 years

By Charlie Fenton

An elderly couple battling the current heatwave are using Britain's oldest working refrigerator, which is still chilling food after 90 years.

The pair in their 80s — who have asked not to be named — have been using the cooling appliance since just after World War II in 1949 when their family bought it.

They paid $64 for the refrigerator — which was built by Electrolux in the 1930s — thought to be the equivalent of around $2,860 in today's money.

The loving couple have previously had to rely on the refrigerator — which is around 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall — during heatwaves in 2021, which saw their newer refrigerator-freezer need replacing.

And to this day they say it is still going strong, keeping food and drink cool during this summer's record-breaking temperatures in their garage at their home in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire.

The revelation of the refrigerator's age comes after King Charles previously suggested in 2021 that his then-67-year-old Frigidaire appliance at his Castle of Mey residence in Scotland held the title.

The royal 5-foot-8-inch tall appliance was bought new by the Queen Mother in 1954.

The retro appliance has a clipped metal latch for opening but is limited in space — unable to hold more than "two Coke bottles stacked upon one another."

It was discovered by domestic appliance sales company John Kerry & Sons.

Adam Kerry, a salesman at the company, said they came across the refrigerator after visiting the couple's house to replace their refrigerator-freezer, which had broken due to the recent heatwave.

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Kerry, 24, said: "They were relying on it while their refrigerator and freezer were broken, probably due to the heat.

"The couple's parents bought it secondhand in 1930-something for $64. That's about $2,340 in today's money.

"It doesn't keep things chilled as you might expect today. It doesn't have the same energy efficiency.

"The refrigerator is tiny. You couldn't buy anything that size today. It's definitely not big enough for the weekly shop. You couldn't fit two Coke bottles stacked on one another in there."

Kerry added that the refrigerator had survived for eight decades because of its "quality" and workmanship.

Business owner Jonathan Kerry added that he visited the house again earlier this year to check up on it and says it is "still going strong."

The owners said: "It's an old workhorse. It definitely deserves a long service medal.

"We use it at Christmas when we need extra space or for storing apples in the summer. It's been very well behaved.

"We're quite happy to be its guardians for years to come."

The couple later adopted the refrigerator and took it with them to Sussex, where they lived for 40 years, before returning to Gloucestershire in 2006.

They added: "It's a family heirloom. We will hopefully pass it down."