Strongroom telephone directories

BT Archives' strongroom is a temperature and humidity controlled storage area, which provides the best environment for preserving the company's archive collections. This view shows the telephone directory collection, which is the most complete in the UK, stretching down the length of the room. The earliest directory dates from 1880. It was produced by The Telephone Company, which was formed in 1878 and controlled Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent in the UK. The directory is just five pages long. It only covers London and there are no numbers given in the directory, as subscribers to the service would have simply phoned the operator and asked to be put through. You can also see other collections, boxed to protect them from dust, and chests to store maps and plans.