Working History — 1861-1900
Telegraph relay
The Universal Private Telegraph Company was established in 1861 by Charles Wheatstone to market his 'Universal Telegraph' which he patented in 1858. The electric telegraph was patented by William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in 1837.
This telegraph relay was manufactured by Reid Brothers. The company's founder William Reid began his career as a scientific instrument maker and his company went on to become one of the principal telegraph manufacturers in Britain exhibiting at the Great Exhibition in 1851. He worked closely with Cooke and Wheatstone manufacturing many of their early telegraphic instruments.
- Category:
- Working History
- Object ID:
- 2003.2/171
- Object name:
- telegraph relay
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- Reid Brothers
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- 1861-1900
- Material:
wood, brass, steel, bone
- Measurements/duration:
- L 185 mm, W 60 mm, D 55 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
BT Connected Earth
- Copyright holder:
BT
- Image credit:
© BT Heritage
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.