The last meal... Val Marks' gas oven gone after 65 years

The sturdy stove was bought by Val’s mum Grace from the gas showrooms near the bus station in Rotherham town centre in 1959.

The New World Forty-two oven – inherited by Val in 1999 – stayed with the family in moves from Douglas Street to East Crescent, Cambridge Street, Newstead Close and lastly to Herringthorpe Valley Road.

The cooker was briefly taken away in 2020 after being declared unsafe because of a gas leak.

But it was back with Val a few months later – thanks to Leeds-based engineer Dave Bannister, who fixed it.

There was a chance it could have been repaired again this time, with Dave and another specialist in Nottingham hopeful that it could be revived again.

But Val said: “It broke in November. The front burner at the left was too high and it needed capping.

“Dave had been in touch, and someone called Shane from Nottingham. But I couldn’t go on just having ping meals. I need good food, especially with it being wintertime, so I made the decision.

“As you get older, you can’t cope with the stress of it. But it’s so sad.

“I remember we would go out on a Sunday, and when we got home Mum would do a fry-up on it.”

Until it finally gave out, the reliable range was still used daily. It was Val’s preferred method for making a stew – even though she owns a slow cooker.

On Monday (15), the cooker was picked up by Eastwood Domestics to be scrapped – as tearful Val watched it down her 13 stairs for the final time.

She said: “I did get upset. It’s been with me for 65 years. I thought there might have been trumpets and all sorts out on the street to see it off!

“I know there’ll be ghosts down at the tip where they’ve taken it, because my mum won’t like it being down there. It was her pride and joy. But I’ve got to move on.

“I’m missing it when I walk in the kitchen. People used to always comment on it, and they were always surprised when I told them I actually still used it.”