Amberley Working Museum - Telephony

The exchange test desk with the technician in familiar brown dust coat. Some nice authentic touches here - the enamel lamp shades and waste paper bin.

The 'Hello Girls' toiling at the switchboard while the frosty-faced supervisor keeps her eagle eye on them.

Next are some early telephone instruments that I haven't photographed before. This telephone dated 1879-80 uses a Blake transmitter. The bell on top looks something of an afterthought.

This wall telephone appears also to use a Blake transmitter. The design is not very ergonomic. You must either have to bend down to speak or reach up very high to wind the magneto. At least the battery box is sensibly at the bottom. The red stripe on the receiver looks like PVC tape - probably not original.

This intercom uses what proclaims itself as Johnson's transmitter. With the watch receiver at its side it has a very neat appearance.

This Hull Coporation wall telephone looks immaculate in polished wood, complete with transfers, writing shelf and Ericsson-style handset.

Not all the telephones are as old as the previous ones. There is a complete wall-full of phones up to recent times. I was particularly taken by this red leather-bound trimphone.

Almost every conceivable type of bell used in telephone practice was on display. The younger visitors (and some not so young) had fun pressing the buttons to make them ring.