The "Ormond" radio loudspeaker unit

The "Ormond" radio loudspeaker unit, 1922-1932, in original packaging. This loudspeaker unit was sold to home-constructors.

It was quite common to build your own radios and loudspeakers from kits in the 1920s and ‘30s. Finished models could be expensive, so a kit was a cost-effective method of getting new technology into the home. Most radios came with a loudspeaker built-in, so an extra one could be made and wired in to bring sound to other rooms in the house. Ormond Engineering Company Limited were based in London and made complete radio sets as well as many varieties of components.

The four poles in this unit refer to the two magnets that vibrate the reed - the small upright metal pole in the centre. A paper cone attached to the reed amplifies the vibrations so that the listener can clearly hear the sound that it is being broadcast.