![](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/49/848/large_thumbnail_1970_0063__0002_.jpg)
Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840
- Made:
- 1835-1840 in United Kingdom
- maker:
- William Fothergill Cooke
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/46/659/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0005_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/46/662/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0008_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/46/660/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0006_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/46/663/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0009_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/46/661/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0007_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/40/748/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0003_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/40/747/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0002_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/40/746/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0001_.jpg)
![Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, 1835-1840](https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/40/749/small_thumbnail_1923_0278__0004_.jpg)
Sir W. F. Cooke's original electric alarum, unknown maker, British, 1835-1840.
This sample of gutta-percha insulated cable dates from around 1848-1849. It was possibly the cable laid by the Electric Telegraph Company between its Lothbury headquarters and Shoreditch (probably the railway station), a distance of approximately one mile. Though it was a good insulator, gutta percha tended to disintegrate after a few years in harsh city environments.
Details
- Category:
- Telecommunications
- Object Number:
- 1923-278
- Materials:
- wood (unidentified) and metal (unknown)
- Measurements:
-
overall: 355 mm x 360 mm x 280 mm, 5.11kg
- type:
- telegraph
- credit:
- Donated by the Institution of Electrical Engineers