GPO
History
The General Post Office (GPO) is by far the oldest organisation represented on this site, having been established in 1660 by King Charles II of England. Over the centuries the GPO grew to provide the functions of both the state postal system and the telecommunications carrier, enjoying a monopoly for many years. Spin-off GPOs were established across the British Empire. The organisation lasted in the UK until 1969, when the GPO was abolished and replaced with the Post Office. In 1981, the Post Office further subdivided, with British Telecom taking over the telecommunications side of the business.
More than a century of monopolies
When new forms of communication were invented in the 19th and 20th centuries, the GPO established new monopolies. Several independent telegraph companies had been successfully established, but in 1868 the Telegraph Act conferred a monopoly on the Postmaster-General. All of the private telegraph companies were bought out.
Some years later, a similar situation arose with the newly invented telephone. Several private companies began successfully trading, creating a fledgling telecommunications industry. Once again the government of the UK decided to nationalise, culminating in the 1912 takeover of the National Telephone Company. This monopoly lasted until the privatisation of BT (British Telecom) in 1981, opening up the industry to commercial competition once more.
GPO phones
The GPO had a number of different telephones that they provided their customers for connection to their exchanges. As a result of GPO’s monopoly and the lack of competition, the range of phones, and thus the choice for the customer, was very limited. Customers for the GPO did not own their phones, but rather rented them from the GPO, along with the wiring for their connection.
GPO phones were manufactured by a number of different companies, using the same prescribed GPO specifications. The earliest phones were made using a wooden casing, that housed brass parts and wiring. There were relatively few of these, due to the expense placing them out of reach of most consumers at the time. These early phones tend to be museum pieces, but can be found and purchased on websites such as eBay.
Advice for collectors
More popular (and practical) for collectors are the subsequent phones: the early metal phones, the hugely popular and collectable Bakelite phones, and the stylish mass-produced moulded plastic phones from the 1950’s onwards.
