GEOFF GREGG of Tursdale was going through his medicine cabinet the other day when, right at the back, he unearthed this little beauty, pictured below, a tin of Ucal’s Borated Zinc and Starch Powder.

The contents are believed to have been last used on his brother’s bottom in the late 1930s and it seems extremely likely that his mother, Agnes, bought the tin from Banner’s chemist in Darlington Road, Ferryhill, where she worked for 15 years.

The Northern Echo:

Indeed, the property still stands and you can still see the step with the word “chemist” in the tiling.

“I daren’t take the top off, but it feels like it is still powder inside,” he says. “I’ve put it back in the cupboard.”

According to the tin, the toilet powder was “extensively recommended by doctors and nurses”.

If you have anything similarly interesting and even historic lurking at the back of your cupboard, we’d love to hear from you.

Please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk