Collecting Vacuum Cleaners

Although I like a clean and tidy house, I confess that domestic chores have never been very high up on my list of priorities in life. Having said that, in the midst of the vacuum cleaner furore over the new EU regulations restricting power levels to 1600kw or under, with further reductions planned for the future, the rush to buy more powerful models has been much reported as imports into the UK have been banned since 1st September.

Hence, vacuum cleaner enthusiast and Guinness Book of World Records holder, James Brown, from Derbyshire, made the headlines with his impressive collection of vacuum cleaners. He currently has 322 in his collection, which includes his own private collection of 50 Kirby models.

Visitors to the area can view the collection for free at his museum at 23, Market Street, Heanor, which he started up in 2010, with a grant from the Prince’s Trust.

Some of his older models are in demand for film production companies and most recently, James loaned a red Goblin vacuum cleaner to the BBC One period drama The Village.

James started his collection at the age of 8, using his pocket money to buy them from market stalls. He still reminisces about the Spinney 800 he once owned but had to get rid of when the sheer numbers threatened to take over the bedroom he shared with his brother. The oldest version in his possession is a Hoover 700, made in 1926.

Over the years he reckons he has spent up to £50,000 on amassing them, sourcing them mainly from house clear-outs, second-hand shops and also on eBay.

He says that although pre-WW2 vacuum cleaners were a luxury item and at the time cost a fortune, as much as £30 to £40 (when you could buy a car for just £100), modern vacuum cleaners just aren’t built to last, something I would have to agree on.

In commenting on changing styles, and the introduction of cloth bags in the 1960s, James says that the bagless cleaners that have fairly recently been hailed as a new invention have actually been around since the very beginning, in the early 1900s.

So keen was his interest, James gained a qualification in mechanical and electrical engineering, and taught himself to repair the appliances after collecting tips from fellow enthusiasts.

 

A little investigation has revealed that there are many different types including:

·         Upright

·         Canister

·         Drum

·         Wet/Dry

·         Pneumatic

·         Backpack

·         Hand-held

·         Cyclonic

·         Central

·         Constellation

 

What I have not been able to discover, so far, and what might well be a more manageable collection for some, is the vacuum cleaner bags themselves, with so many different kinds available there must surely be a market for them somewhere.