
Hills Hoist: The Iconic Rotary Clothesline that Shaped Suburban Australia - misnamed
http://99percentinvisible.org/article/hills-hoist-iconic-rotary-clothesline-shaped-suburban-australia/
======
angry_octet
Just as iconic is the Montreal clothesline, strung on 3 levels along the
length of terrace houses. They are like conveyor belts for clothes, and
fantastically efficient.

[https://www.flickr.com/groups/cordes-a-linge-
mtl/](https://www.flickr.com/groups/cordes-a-linge-mtl/)

It is sad that so many areas in North America banned the clothes line, a
massive impact on the environment and incredibly expensive.

~~~
Avernar
I remember those back when I lived in Montreal when I was a kid. We were on
the top floor and I would attach an action figure with parachute to it. I'd
send him out over the yard and use a string to release him.

Back then we figured out ways to keeps ourselves entertained. No computers or
tablets so it was either be bored or figure something out that was fun and
wouldn't get you into trouble.... much.

~~~
a3n
Did you wear onions on your belts?

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disordinary
These used to be ubiquitous in New Zealand backyards as well, although now
everyone has the variety that extends or folds out from the side of the house.

The only people I can think of that has one now are my Grandparents, and they
have a farm with plenty of space. I'm sure there's still plenty of concrete
pads that formerly held one of these lying around though.

Rather than being a toy as a kid (I don't know why we didn't hang off them
much, maybe we weren't allowed) they were an annoying metal obstacle smack
bang right in the middle of the lawn, the concrete pads and metal sides intent
to injure during a game of backyard cricket or bullrush.

They were solid though, we've broken two of the extendible ones from hanging
heavy waterlogged blankets, would never happen with a rotary line.

~~~
tikwidd
They're still super common in NZ, a lot of older suburban houses have them,
particularly outside of Auckland. We have one at home but it's not the folding
down type. I never thought of them as being an Aus/NZ thing.

I like the idea of using it for an outdoor shade structure (vintage ad in the
OP), will have to try that this summer..

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giggidygig
There is even a drinking game that Australian's developed using the Hills
Hoist: "Goon of Fortune".

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goon_of_Fortune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goon_of_Fortune)

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mceoin
This article is spot on. I grew up swinging on these as a kid, then helping
out with the washing, then playing goon of fortune as I grew up.

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IgorPartola
OT: I am from a large-ish city in Eastern Europe. I grew up calling clothes
hangers "trempel". Everyone in my town did. Neither my parents nor my
grandparents knew that they had a different name throughout the rest of the
Russian speaking word ("plechiki" translated as "little shoulders") and that
Trempel was actually a last name of an early manufacturer of them in my area.
It's sort of a Xerox vs copy machine thing except here I wouldn't have
recognized the other word for it at all, and people from outside my region
wouldn't have recognized mine.

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bootload
_" Lance Hill's brother-in-law Harold Ling returned from the war and joined
him to form a partnership in 1946. Ling became the key figure in expanding the
production and marketing of the Hills Hoists."_

My mum's Uncle Rol, Harolds brother, was a part of the team with the firm.
Hills Hoists started with an idea to get into business, between two founders
[0] during WW2.

The problem: If you were a housewife with kids there was no easy way to hang
clothes. [1] String a rope between two poles was the common way to do things.
Two problems, you need two sturdy poles and have to move to hang clothes. The
company started in at home in Glenunga, Adelaide. Here is view of the order
book and Glen Osmond Road factory in '46\. [2] Every year after that the
company size grew, the factory in '47 [3] and so did the team. [4]

If you were a house wife in the 40s, 50s and you needed dry clothes this was
the way to do it. [5] There was another manufacturer on the market (Gilbert
Tonnes #24553/25 - 1925) [6] but the patent for the winder (gearbox to raise
and lower the hoist) expired. It was only in the 50's did Hills decide to file
patent on the winding mechanism. [6] I'm not sure how Hills avoided patent
infringement here but eventually the Toyne patent expired and on 22nd March,
1956 the patent was applied for the winding mechanism (crown wheel and
pinion). [7]

By the 60's the factory had grown somewhat [8] and the move to diversification
started. From Hoists, play equipment, then TV servicing, Television antennas,
exhausts and electronics. All this was made possible by two founders, and a
good core team.

This is what a manufacturing startup looked like in the late 40's, and 1950s.
By the 80's this was a billion dollar company that by the 60s expanded into
the UK and overseas. If you look through the photos you really get an idea of
how many people were employed and what kind of scale the production was.

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/page2](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/page2)

Most kids who grew up in Australia in my generation, had one of these
contraptions in the back yard [9] to swing, hang-off and use in ways not
thought of by the founders. [10]

I last saw mums uncle Rol at my grand mothers funeral in '85\. He'd travelled
from Adelaide that hot summer and we talked about his war service (Tobruk) and
Hoists. Rol offered a job in the electronics division (Antennas), but I was at
Uni at that time, declined and thanked him. Computers were my fascination.

Reference

[0]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8512016128](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8512016128)

[1]
[https://au.pinterest.com/pin/393009504952667831/](https://au.pinterest.com/pin/393009504952667831/)

[2]
[http://nationaltreasures.nla.gov.au/3E/Treasures/item/nla.in...](http://nationaltreasures.nla.gov.au/3E/Treasures/item/nla.int-
ex8-s25/) /
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8531995775](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8531995775)

[3]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8531994695/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8531994695/)

[4]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8511081973/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8511081973/)

[5]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8510969367/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8510969367/)

[6]
[http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/pdfSource.do?f...](http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/pdfSource.do?fileQuery=t%8D%91%85%7F%87Y%7E%8E%8B%93%8AB%82%85%88%81%8A%7D%89%81Y%5DqMUNQLNPQQO%5ELJ%8C%80%82Bp%84%81Yp%84%81)
(pdf) /
[http://s742.photobucket.com/user/bazza4338/media/Stampboards...](http://s742.photobucket.com/user/bazza4338/media/Stampboards/Inventions/HillsHoistPatent1925.jpg.html)

[6] This is the gear mechanism patented
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8532993704/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8532993704/)

[7]
[http://www.dinkumaussies.com/INVENTION%2FLance%20Hill.htm](http://www.dinkumaussies.com/INVENTION%2FLance%20Hill.htm)

[8]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8533529532](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8533529532)

[9]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/5721585751](https://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/5721585751)

[10]
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8511172789/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/hillsholdingsltd/8511172789/)

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Animats
The price on that thing is insane. $349 for the small model, $1,198 for the
big one.[1] A cheap aluminum one is only $49 on Amazon.

[1] [https://www.amazon.com/s?field-
keywords=hills%20hoist](https://www.amazon.com/s?field-keywords=hills%20hoist)

~~~
ShinTakuya
Classic example of durability vs cost. It may seem excessively priced but
these things last forever. As in I've seen plenty in heavy use for 60+ years
with very few operational problems (maybe the wind up mechanism for adjusting
height might be a little stiff but still very usable). Big up front cost but
it ends up being a decent investment if you can afford it.

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Theodores
Over engineered?

Precisely zero of these clothes lines made it to the UK - you never see them -
so there must be a reason for that. In the UK they may have failed compared to
the more modern rotary design because that uses far less metal and does not
have the heavy and unnecessary handle. In the UK portability probably matters
more due to the rain.

~~~
cknight
These are not designed to be portable, though demountable/removable ones
certainly exist nowadays. At both of my houses in Sydney when growing up, they
were set in the ground in concrete.

So, I am not surprised you'd never see these anywhere outside of a generally
sunny climate. Space is also a factor - the average yard size in Australia is
far larger than that of the UK, though it is shrinking in the major cities.

The handle certainly helps to prevent head injuries when mowing the lawn
around them. I've hurt myself a few times after forgetting to wind ours back
up.

~~~
Spooky23
My mom used to use something like this in Upstate NY. If t wasn't below
freezing, it would work just fine.

Typically if the weather was nice we would hang the clothes before
school/work, and they'd be done at the end of the day. Some years we would go
as late as Thanksgiving before taking it down for the winter.

