Circa 1968:
Living in a boatyard near Rochester.
Just been sacked from my job (again). Bloke on the next boat is a window cleaner doing schools for the Inner London Education Authority. (All old Victorian "3-decker" buildings - ceilings 12 foot high and an art room perched on top of the highest floor). He offers to take me with him, it's all price work, you get paid a fixed sum for every job you do.
Arrive on the first job, it looks like a skyscraper to me
Up the inside staircase carrying our 'coms' (short double window cleaners ladders), buckets - swabs (no 'T' bars yet) - squeegees - scrim and bird s**t scrapers. Arrive in the art room, 4 (very) high floors above ground. He shows me how to wash and wring out a scrim, then puts his 'com' up against the side window frame. Each window is two sashes of six panes, about 3 feet square with a fanlight slightly smaller above. He hangs his scrim over his shoulder, sticks his squeegee in a holster on his belt, wrings the excess water out of his swab then climbs up the ladder. Puts one foot on the sill and starting at the top of the fanlight he cleans all the insides.
Then he pulls the upper (outside) sash down till it's level with the lower one. Then he climbs up and puts both feet on the narrow platform where the two sashes are side by side. He grabs the wooden bar between the main window opening and the fanlight with his free hand and ducks under the bar.
Now he's standing on the upper edges of the sashes with his body outside, just hanging on with one hand. With the other he cleans the outside of the fanlight. Then he bends down and grips the tops of the sashes with both hands and drops down onto the sill. Now he's standing on the sill (outside, 4 floors up
) He pulls the bottom (inner sash) up until it's far enough for him to clean the top row of panes, then he pushes it down again. THEN HE PULLS UP THE OUTER SASH TILL IT'S AT THE TOP
.
Now he's standing on the outside sill with the window closed, just hanging on with his fingers in the channel that the sash runs in. With his free hand he cleans the outside of the upper sash. Then he bends down pulls the bottom sash up again so he can grab hold of the bottom frame. With his free hand he cleans the lower row of panes, then he pulls the lower sash further up, ducks under it and climbs back inside.
He looks at me, all unconcerned and says: "OK, you do the next one.............."
