Advert for "The English Electric Carbon Co Ltd., Wrexham" : title page to the National Telephone Company Telephone Directory for the UK & Ireland, 1899 - 1900
In 1899 the whole of the UK's telephone subscribers still fitted into one, albeit weighty, volume and this is the title page to the issue 'one copy of which was issued to all subscribers'. The NTC had been formed in 1881 when telephony was in its infancy and was part of the United Telephone Company who, at the time, set up other regional companies to expand their services. The desire to merge these concerns during the 1880s was thwarted by Government due to a reluctance to re-issue or transfer licences to operate telephone services, and so the UTC instead used some of the subsidiaries to co-ordinate a merger retaining the NTC title from 1889 onwards. During the 1890s the NTC's trunk lines were transferred to Post Office control and agreement was reached that this organisation would take full control of the NTC assets in 1911/1912.
The English Electric Carbon Co Ltd (not to be confused with the 1919 English Electric) was based in Wrexham, N Wales, despite the advert's claim, a common one at the time, that Wales was "England". The plant being just to the west of Brymbo - a location at the time that was in the heart of the local coal, iron and steel industries. The site was connected with earlier iron and lead smelting, the plant apparently being re-purposed for the manufacturing of carbons for the then 'new' technology of electric arc lighting. This was not, however, that good a move as the new incandescent electric light proved far more efficient and arc lighting had a relatively short life. The company was wound up in 1907. Slightly oddly, although Wrexham and Brymbo were 'on the system' the company does not appear to have a telephone at the time relying on its telegraphic address!
Advert for "The English Electric Carbon Co Ltd., Wrexham" : title page to the National Telephone Company Telephone Directory for the UK & Ireland, 1899 - 1900
In 1899 the whole of the UK's telephone subscribers still fitted into one, albeit weighty, volume and this is the title page to the issue 'one copy of which was issued to all subscribers'. The NTC had been formed in 1881 when telephony was in its infancy and was part of the United Telephone Company who, at the time, set up other regional companies to expand their services. The desire to merge these concerns during the 1880s was thwarted by Government due to a reluctance to re-issue or transfer licences to operate telephone services, and so the UTC instead used some of the subsidiaries to co-ordinate a merger retaining the NTC title from 1889 onwards. During the 1890s the NTC's trunk lines were transferred to Post Office control and agreement was reached that this organisation would take full control of the NTC assets in 1911/1912.
The English Electric Carbon Co Ltd (not to be confused with the 1919 English Electric) was based in Wrexham, N Wales, despite the advert's claim, a common one at the time, that Wales was "England". The plant being just to the west of Brymbo - a location at the time that was in the heart of the local coal, iron and steel industries. The site was connected with earlier iron and lead smelting, the plant apparently being re-purposed for the manufacturing of carbons for the then 'new' technology of electric arc lighting. This was not, however, that good a move as the new incandescent electric light proved far more efficient and arc lighting had a relatively short life. The company was wound up in 1907. Slightly oddly, although Wrexham and Brymbo were 'on the system' the company does not appear to have a telephone at the time relying on its telegraphic address!