Post Office Telephones - Classified telephone Directory; Birmingham & District, April 1934
The precursor to the "Yellow Pages" was for many years the "Classified Telephone Directory", sometimes know as the "Buff Book' as well, and this was produced and issued under agreement by J Weiner Ltd., of London, on behalf of the Post Office telephones service. They're a useful research tool and, don't laugh, make for fascinating reading!
This is the 1934 Birmingham & District edition, covering the whole of the Black Country including Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Kidderminster (and we shouldn't forget West Bromwich either) and so covers some fascinating trades and companies.
The front covers followed a template and made much use of the advertising space that allowed Weiner's to produce the directories and the GPO to take a cut! As can be seen there are reminders of the area's importance in the metal trades, especially in metal finishing and products. The banner advert across the top is for one such company, Webley & Scott, "general engineers". It makes no mention of the product they were, of course, most famous for and that was another Birmingham speciality - gunmakers.
Post Office Telephones - Classified telephone Directory; Birmingham & District, April 1934
The precursor to the "Yellow Pages" was for many years the "Classified Telephone Directory", sometimes know as the "Buff Book' as well, and this was produced and issued under agreement by J Weiner Ltd., of London, on behalf of the Post Office telephones service. They're a useful research tool and, don't laugh, make for fascinating reading!
This is the 1934 Birmingham & District edition, covering the whole of the Black Country including Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Kidderminster (and we shouldn't forget West Bromwich either) and so covers some fascinating trades and companies.
The front covers followed a template and made much use of the advertising space that allowed Weiner's to produce the directories and the GPO to take a cut! As can be seen there are reminders of the area's importance in the metal trades, especially in metal finishing and products. The banner advert across the top is for one such company, Webley & Scott, "general engineers". It makes no mention of the product they were, of course, most famous for and that was another Birmingham speciality - gunmakers.