Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester

The Connecting Manchester gallery is in the historic 1830 Warehouse at the far end of the site. It has the distinction of being the world's first railway warehouse.

Although it covers most aspects of telecommunications, the emphasis is on products made by local firms and items used in Manchester.

For instance, this Gower-Bell type telephone was manufactured by local firm, David Moseley & Sons. They started as agents for supply of phones, but later moved into manufacturing.

This early ringing machine is something I've not seen in any of the other museums.

This early switchboard must be unique. The top row is evidently calling indicators for each line. It would appear that a connection was made using the six rows of jacks as connecting circuits by inserting plugs to make the connection.

The display contains more switchboards, a small private automatic exchange and a power distribution rack.

The left hand display contains more locally made telephone parts. However the right hand display refers to a pneumatic telegraph system installed in the former Refuge Assurance Company offices in London Road, Manchester. This system used air pressure to convey carriers with documents along narrow tubes between departments.

This novelty 'Telegraph Alphabet' was found in the Manchester office of the Great Eastern Telegraph Company.

The two needle railway telepgraph, made by Cooke & Wheatstone, is marked for local stations.

Here are some tools used by the line plant installers along with a pair of finials from the top of poles.

The Connecting Manchester gallery also deals with other aspects such as radio and television. Here's the knitted Monkey (often pronounced "Munkeh") that advertised ITV Digital's paid-for TV service. [Watch one of the TV Commercials]