Strongroom - early records

BT Archives' strongroom is a temperature and humidity controlled storage area, which provides the best environment for the company's archive collections. This view shows the customer literature collections (boxed to protect them from dust) and the early records of the General Post Office, and the private telegraph and telephone companies which the Post Office took over. The customer literature collections, which comprise examples of the publicity material produced by BT and its predecessors, are a fascinating source of information on the products and services that were on offer, and how these were advertised. The early GPO and private company records date back to the 1840s and demonstrate the evolution of telecommunications both from its earliest days in the UK and internationally.