GPO/Telecom buildings & old phone numbers

[TRD 196]

3 hours ago, FLY2 said:

Ours in the 50's was 74640. Sad what sticks in ones head !

On a more technical note, and one for the 'experts', are the Nottingham exchanges and intermediate sub stations Strowger, Pentex or what ?

 

Nottingham had 2 exchanges, Archer and Castle both Strowger. Archer numbers began with 5 and Castle began with 4.

 

The other exchanges around Nottingham were called satellite exchanges and were either 2000 or 4000 type Strowger exchanges. 

[FLY2 10,108]

Thanks TRD. I worked on Strowger, Pentex and Core Register Translator equipment during my time at Plessey. 

Later years were spent on 565 Fibre Optic Systems for BT and Mercury. Great days.

[katyjay 5,090]

We had a phone put in when my dad went self employed in the 50's. We answered it 'Bulwell 271673'. It was a party line at first, a bit inconvenient, you'd pick up the handset and listen first before dialing in case t'others were talking. The phone had a little drawer in the bottom to keep notes.

[IAN123. 9,325]

Telephone Exchange building..early 1980s on Broad Street.

[trogg 2,009]

Can you remember your first telephone number, mine was Hucknall 6656 ,to contact home from Nottingham I think it was 35 before the number, the national code for Nottingham was 0602 .

[mary1947 2,079]

When I first started work not many people had phones, as I worked in a salon some appointments would be on the phone, now when the phone rang (large cream telephone) I was told to answer it , I was shaking and my voice went rusty as I said the salon name and can I help you madam. Not long after this the trim phone came out, when I had my own salon the number was 6049 and to get though to a Nottingham number you had to put a 9 in front then it change you had to put 63 first before the number then all the codes came out 01773 code for north Notts 01623 Mansfield 0115 Nottingham. At the time best thing was when you had children and did not want to leave them during the day the GPO always wanted women to work as telephonist, it was also well paid. Now technology has moved on mobiles that used to be as large as a house brick now fit in a small pocket,  most are now mini computers.  When I stayed with my bother in Germany and going shopping he called from the hall, don't forget to take your handy with you, HUU! what is that? this is what they call mobiles. (just s bit of useless information) 

[jonab 1,644]

Just before the mobile phone system came into being, in the early 1980's there was Rabbit.

Rabbit was a system of hotspots located at strategic places (rail stations, bus stations, other busy places) where subscribers to the Rabbit system could connect wirelessly to the landline phone network.

I lived in the south of England when this was brought out. Did it extend as far as Nottingham?

 

Rabbit didn't last very long as it was superseded by the mobile system more or less as it is known now but in an earlier version, obviously.

 

The first mobile phones I remember were not so much house brick size but more the dimensions of a suitcase - with a conventional type receiver handpiece sitting on the top.

 

Then there was the race to make these "poser phones" (they were quite unusual things then and VERY expensive that only poseurs would have them) as small as possible. I remember one model being about the size of a matchbox. Now it seems they are getting bigger and bigger again to accommodate all the garbage that these things generate.

 

My mobile phone is a basic €20 Nokia. No bells, no whistles, it's just a phone - and I hardly ever use it.

[Brew 5,403]

The Rabbit system started in Manchester and as you say did not last long, technology soon overtook them.

[IAN123. 9,325]

Behind the posters i recall a carpark full of green Post Office Telephone Anglia vans. Where the ice cream van is..was a shutter that emerged speeding Telegram Despatch riders on red motorbikes.

[catfan 14,793]

I once owned an ex telecom Ford Anglia van Ian !

[IAN123. 9,325]

There is one sitting outside the jockey in Bulwell..the photo is on here..and the net.Yours?

[catfan 14,793]

Not sure but after driving an AEC Renown all day that Anglia seemed so nice & smooth & quiet but for a clapped out Ford was heaven.

[Brew 5,403]

My first phone number was 303030. It was amazing how many times I had to repeat it when someone asked for it.

[catfan 14,793]

270696

[Dodie 51]

47139

[colly0410 1,181]

Remember Radio Nottingham was 44444, Dad was always entering their phone in quiz's. My ex's work number was 44015... When we lived up Kirkby our number was 454745 with a 01623 prefix, my auntie said I'd given her the wrong number as she could never get through after many try's. I asked her to read the number back to me & she'd put a 9 in front of the first 4, she wouldn't believe me that Mansfield numbers didn't need a 9 adding on front of local numbers like Nottingham did. She never did phone me till we moved to Hucknall & had a 952**** number...

[IAN123. 9,325]

British Telecom building, bottom of Hucknall Rd.

[TRD 196]

Sherwood exchange

[Willow wilson 894]

Excellent historical and revealing programme here on this subject. Available for 19 days.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08mp2l8

[IAN123. 9,325]

Yes..i have seen that Willow- excellent viewing.Talking Pictures often show old Public Information Films...quite amusing and charmingly dated.

[IAN123. 9,325]

Castle Telephone Exchange, George St.

[IAN123. 9,325]

Inside 'Archer' Exchange.

[IAN123. 9,325]

A close up of Castle Exchange.

[Stuart.C 491]

When I started with the GPO in 1967 the then defunct building, pictured above, was the base for E.L.P Construction (Electric Light and Power), basically anything electrical (non telecom) including Exchange batteries.

I was an E.L.P TTA and did some of my apprenticeship blocks there.

 

[TRD 196]

The Castle exchange was across the road from this building which, as Stuart says, was the ELP base not the exchange.