Post Office 300 Series Telephone
From Object Wiki
| Post office 300 Series Telephone | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Post office |
| Production years | 1938 - 1965 |
| Production location | (unknown) |
Telephones were provided by the Post Office until 1981, and there was almost no choice of pattern or colour. Between 1938 and the late 1960s this Post Office 300 Series Telephone was the standard domestic handset, and was the first telephone most people had ever had.
[edit] How it works
The telephone operates on simple principles. A telephone mouthpiece of this era contained granules of carbon with a fixed electrode at the back, a movable electrode at the front (which was connected to a diaphragm) and a steady voltage across the telephone line. When a person speaks into the mouthpiece, the acoustic vibrations from speech push and pull the diaphragm and the movable electrode. This results in the carbon granules being bounced about and varying the ease with which the current can flow through them. These variations in current are transmitted down the phone line to the receiver at the distant end where the variations are converted into acoustic energy again.
(Reference: Telephony Vol I, J. Atkinson, Pitman ISBN 0 273 43180 3, pages 35 to 38)
[edit] Memories
In the 1950s there were so few of the general public owning telephones that they were almost a status symbol. Demand for them began to increase from the early ’50s, which created waiting lists in areas where businesses had to have priority. It was in such an area that we found ourselves living, and we were on the waiting list for well over three years before we had a phone installed.
— Valerie Watts
The 300 series telephone was the first GPO telephone to have its bell-set integrated within the lower portion of the instrument casing; all previous models had to have a bell-set remotely installed elsewhere in the home or office. The 300 series telephone also had a pull-out slide at the front, which held a card on which you could write down about a dozen of your regular numbers! On some earlier telephones, the wall-mounted, moulded bell housing could alternatively be attached to the base of the telephone itself, but this was then generally considered too bulky for use in the home.
— Duncan Tribute
Remember them, I installed dozens of them. You could get them in black, ivory, red and green. We used to replace separate bell-sets with these more modern types, but sometimes people insisted on keeping the separate bell. They were charged extra rental then for a bell they had always had, and this was not very popular.
— John Truine
The old black telephone- the only one available at home- had its important place in the house: just at the entrance, on a wooden table. It was an honor to be the first one to reach it when it ringed.
— Ximena
We still have one of these at our residence (college). It still works!
— Luca Mele
They were heavy bakelite case and metal internals
— Sam
It's more fun to dial numbers with the dial on the 300 than boring button clicking. I still have one at home. The clicking noise is good to hear.
— Robert
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Do you remember this telephone? Add your memories. |
[edit] In the Science Museum
Source: British Telecom. Deptford Telephone Exchange Inv: No: 1983-517
This object is currently on display in the Dan Dare & the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain exhibition at the Science Museum, London.