BACKGROUND HISTORY



1990 Milton Keynes Museum (MKM) invites Telecommunication Heritage Group (THG) members to restore a Manual Telephone Switchboard and a small Automatic Exchange which had been donated to them. A number of obsolete telephones also needed sorting and displaying. Work began in cramped and unsuitable accommodation amongst other museum items.

1992 Many more items collected, particularly from British Telecom ( BT) and Hanslope Park. Now housed in converted Canteen Hut near entrance to Farmhouse.
Mobile Telephone Exchange in 8 tonne trailer
purchased from BT.

1993 Ex-BT retired engineers form Project Team. Acquisition and restoration continue. Working telephones, switchboards and Strowger automatic exchanges now on display with many associated items.
1994 Museum of Rural Telecommunications ( MRT ) born and through MKM, offered temporary storage accommodation in surplus industrial unit at Kiln Farm Estate , Milton Keynes by the Commission for New Towns ( CNT )
1995 MRT purchases 1952 Morris 'Z' Post Office Telephones van found at Boston, Lincs., for £1000. THG kindly donated £500 towards this.

Retrieval and Restoration of telephone items continue. The Telecommunications Trust formed with advice from the Charities Commission and the local Council for Voluntary Organisations. This was supported by MKM as being vital to preserve the unique collection, now believed to be the largest outside of BT and managed independently.

1996 A major disastrous fire at MKM destroyed some Buildings and artefacts to the value of £1 million. Some site telephones and cables were lost, and our telephone Kiosks damaged beyond repair. One Trailer was burnt out, but the chassis saved. Thanks again to our links with the local BT managers, within a week we collected a surplus empty Mobile Exchange Trailer and a container from Leighton Buzzard and these have proved a great asset.


Through our close liaison with BT Museum, we have inherited the collection of the Institute of BT Engineers formerly at Brighton and stored at Tilehurst, Reading. This involved many days of work transporting it to Milton Keynes in about four large van loads. A similar collection was retrieved from temporary storage at Hemel Hempstead. This included a complete automatic exchange from Bovingdon, Herts.

1997 Stock being rationalised and display items rearranged.

In June, we had to vacate our storage unit at Kiln Farm. Some five tons of equipment and display units were moved back to the MKM site. Most were accommodated in our storage trailers and in a container purchased by MKM.

Some telegraph equipment was transferred to Bletchley Park but some items had reluctantly to be scrapped, including a PABX 4.

The rebuilding at MKM continues together with new buildings for Reception and Transport. Approaches to BT were renewed for sponsorship of a permanent building on the MKM site but in August the BT Museum in London closed, and BT appears to have lost all interest in Heritage.

THG held their AGM at the Museum in November. This was very successful and indicated the considerable interest in Telecommunication History and Heritage not only in this country but also Worldwide.

1998 MKM reopened at Easter and all the visitors enjoyed the Telephone Museum which is now the first display they come to on entry.

Thanks to the generosity of the Vicar of St. Johns, Hoxton, London we acquired a Handcart marked PO Telephones. This was later identified as being made in 1900 for GPO Telegraphs, before GPO became interested in telephones! This has now been fully restored and is on display in the Transport Hall. We have reason to believe this is the oldest Telecommunication vehicle in existence.

Later in the year, we were honoured by a visit by a BT Director who had been appointed to determine and rationalise BT policy on Heritage.

Unfortunately, very little progress by BT has been evident since, although our visitors continue to show their support, not least in the contribution box upon which we rely for our income to cover some of our expenses.

1999 Throughout the year apart from keeping the museum running and maintaining the automatic exchange equipment, we have concentrated on the rebuild of our 'flagship', the 1952 Morris Van.

This has taken longer than expected, due to our other commitments and the difficulty in obtaining some replacement parts.

Thanks to the BT Museum Curator, Neil Johnnason, we now have on loan the one remaining Mobile Small Rural Exchange ( UAX 12 ) which has its own power supply in the form of petrol engine. This has to be cared for to prevent further deterioration pending full restoration.

On Museum open days, the Director, Bill Griffiths or a member of the volunteers acts as a guide, and we are grateful for their help and enthusiasm.

Demonstration of Strowger apparatus

2000 Name changed to The Telephone Museum to reflect more accurately the nature of items in our care.


The museum has been able to assist in the making of several T.V. programmes requiring telephones, switchboards, etc.