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Section of a CB1 manual telephone exchange switchboard, 1925-1960
Section of a CB1 manual telephone exchange switchboard with positions for three operators, unknown maker, British, 1925-1960. In use at Enfield Telephone Exchange 22 July 1925 to 5 October 1960
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Before the days of automatic telephone exchanges, anyone picking up the telephone to make a call would hear 'Number please'. These were the words of the telephone operators, who would connect the call using cords and jacks, plugged into the sockets of an exchange switchboard like these. Manual exchanges provide employment of hundreds of women, as they were seen as being more suited to the polite nature of the work, as well as being cheaper labour than men. The Enfield Telephone Exchange installed in 1925, and was the last manual exchange to run in London. It was converted to an automatic exchange in 1961
- Measurements:
-
overall: 2030 mm x 1740 mm x 1090 mm, 989 kg
- Materials:
- wood (unidentified) , metal (unknown) , plastic (unidentified) , glass , electronic components and rubber (unidentified)
- Object Number:
- 1961-94 Pt1
- type:
- telephone exchange
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
