Golden Pavements was first published in the 1940s, and the following references may require some additional explanation for the modern reader.
Before decimalization in 1971, British currency consisted of pounds, shillings, and pence:
12 pence = 1 shilling
20 shillings = 1 pound
21 shillings = 1 guinea
so three and six means “three shillings and sixpence”.
A rep. (or repertory) company was a theatre company which resided permanently at a particular theatre, regularly changing the performances on offer to their audiences.
A panatrope was an early form of record player.
O.U.D.S. was, and still is, the Oxford University Dramatic Society.
Lyons Corner Houses were a restaurant chain.
Pawnbrokers were more common than they are now. A pawnbroker lends a customer money in exchange for one of the customer’s possessions. If the customer is not able to repay the loan after a certain time, the pawnbroker is entitled to sell the item.
A Dutch treat is when both members of a couple share the cost of everything on an outing.