Ibte Museum Of Telecommunications

400/0/10009 QUEEN STREET 26-FEB-02 (South side) IBTE Museum of Telecommunications

II

Telephone exchange, now a museum. 1939 with later extensions. Taken out of service 1979 and converted to a museum. Red brick with Westmorland slate hipped roof with a single brick chimney stack. Single storey. Main, north street fa?ade has projecting wing to left with single cross casement window with the words TELEPHONE and EXCHANGE in raised lettering to either side. To right a 3-light casement window. East front has 6 windows, with three 2-light cross casements to left and two 3-light cross casements with a further 2-light window to right. West front has recessed entrance doorway and beyond a later extension. INTERIOR. This telephone exchange retains its original built-in automatic exchange equipment invented and designed by Mr Strowger and made by Siemens Brothers. The exchange also contains an early mobile exchange, which could be installed to give up to 100 self-contained lines at very short notice. It also retains all its original cabling and wiring allowing many of the original equipment to still function. The building's former generator room still survives, as do the recreation room and other facilities provided for the men who looked after all this equipment. The building also contains a "shelter" installed during the Cold War era to provide protection for those manning the station during a nuclear attack. This building now houses the Institute of British Telecommunication Engineers Museum of Telecommunications.