Photographing Telephone Exchanges

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tijuana taxi

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Rich
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Going on from a thread the other day, wonder if its ok to take pics of telephone exchanges and publish them on places like here

They can be taken from public footway, but wonder in these security conscious times if it would be allowed (especially as an employee of BT)

Got a goodly collection from my job of surveying them for possible expansion and some are actually quite interesting structures

Might ask the question tomorrow of our security people, obviously I have insider knowledge of their location, but not hard to find once you know what to look for

The smaller older rural ones are the most interesting visually, some still have earth closets and are of varying design and construction
 
We have one at the top of our street, I can't think why you would take photos of them, they are not the prettiest of buildings. But I did read that some of the rural ones are a little better to look at.

I have heard about the BT tower in London shouldn't be photographed, never sure if that is just a rumor or truth?
 
I can't think why you would take photos of them
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Otherwise no one will get to appreciate their hidden beauty or maybe because it would be a bit different and fun finding them

Even the official directions can be very poor, went to one and it had been turned into a house. Thought it strange to see curtains, lucky I didn't just stroll in and put the kettle on.
 
I'd say try it...if you get banged-up, we'll send files in cakes etc...
 
Little John said:
I have heard about the BT tower in London shouldn't be photographed, never sure if that is just a rumor or truth?
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An illegal photo?

4462141921_8a48136455.jpg


Taken last week.
 
Hi Rich

I served my apprenticeship in telephone exchanges. Reading your post brought back some pleasant memories.

Personally I wouldn't even shoot them, let alone publish them. Maybe I'm paranoid by in these panicky days of paranoid over reaction, the Government seem to have no problem making up rediculous rules that they then apply retrospectively...HOW DOES THAT WORK!

So my stance is one of paranoid over reaction and not shoot public buildings.

If you have a signed building release form though, I'm guessing you'd be pretty safe.

I agree though, some of those older rural exchanges are wonderful.

Have you ever been to the Amberley Chaulk Pits Museum? They've got such a small exchange there and you can go in, use the phones and watch the strowger chunk its way up and buzz its way round. Bliss.

Thanks for the memories Rich

Steve
 
I too was an apprentice Steve, started in 75 and remember just how noisy that old Strowger gear was in some of the large London exchanges (all very quiet now)

Never been to Amberley, but might well look it up now you have mentioned it.

Would really like to visit some of the ones on the Scottish Islands, planned some of the work in them, but bit far from Cambridgeshire to visit

If I get the ok, look out for a few pics coming to a website near you. If they are taken from public footway, can't see the problem and many are in main roads
(obviously no internal shots)
 
why not? If you've got some pics, why not put it up. Dont have to give the area or location.
 
Ok then, can't use most of my present collection because they were taken on the premises.

Will see what i can do this weekend, bit incapacitated with a dislocated shoulder, but it seems to be on the way to popping back in (I hope)

Shame that one of my favorites isn't such a good prospect anymore since the lovely thatched pub opposite burned down last week.
 
Hmm I'll ask Dad, he joined GPO at 16 and retired last year, whole working life in 1 job!

I can remember being a little kid walking around rack and racks of gear, he worked in a repeater station, but was later mobile..
I think he was in circuit provision and then later on general build.

I can remember going to one exchange which was in a quiet residential area, looked just like an old bungalow, once you got in it went back and back and back as it had been extended to deal with capacity.. by this time it had all gone digital and most of the place was empty, save a few racks of gear quietly doing its thing. There was a basement of sorts, once down there there was a door, peeking through the window in the door you saw a b****y great diesel generator!

If I can get some pics from Dad I'll post them
 
Under the Communications Act 2003 Schedule 17 para.2, telephone exchanges (and other sites used by telecommunications providers) are 'prohibited places' for the purposes of the Official Secrets Act 1911.

This makes it an offence

for any person for any purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State to:

  • Approach, inspect, pass over, be in the neighbourhood of or enter any prohibited place.
  • Make any sketch, plan, model, or note which is calculated to be or might be or intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy.
  • Obtain, collect, record, or publish, or communicate to any other person any secret official code word, or pass word, or any sketch, plan, model, article or note, or other document or information which is calculated to be or might be or is intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy.
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There is no ban on your photographing a telephone exchange, but the burden of proof effectively shifts to you to prove that your purposes were not espionage and/or did not prejudice the interests of the State.

There's a fairly full run-down on Prohibited Places here
 
Little John said:
We have one at the top of our street, I can't think why you would take photos of them, they are not the prettiest of buildings. But I did read that some of the rural ones are a little better to look at.

I have heard about the BT tower in London shouldn't be photographed, never sure if that is just a rumor or truth?
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Rumor
 
There was a basement of sorts, once down there there was a door, peeking through the window in the door you saw a b****y great diesel generator!
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That would be the "engine" quite often in a separate building at the more rural ones along with the bog and sink (if you are lucky)

There is no ban on your photographing a telephone exchange, but the burden of proof effectively shifts to you to prove that your purposes were not espionage.
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Think i could manage that after 35 years working for them, might have blown one or two up by now

Hmm I'll ask Dad, he joined GPO at 16 and retired last year, whole working life in 1 job!
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Getting close to that myself now, just hope this little experiment doesn't hasten my departure
 
Well done Rob on finding all that legal stuff. I remember having to sign the Official Secrets Act and there being lots of "No Unauthorised Persons Beyond This Point" signs.

I did quite a bit of Strowger, tiny bit of Crossbar (hated it!), then we had a couple of caravans with TXE2s in, and we were one of the first to have TXE4s.

There was lots of talk about using fibre optics and if Martlesham could figure out a way of jointing the fibres, we would be able to do banking and shopping on our TVs - well PCs hadn't been invented yet.

Oh, and System X was the talk of the town, but none of us had seen any yet. I guess System X has probably been and gone.

Okay...now I officially feel old :(
 
Whilst exchnages might have been vunerable in causing communication chaos back in 1911, with the plethora of mobile masts I doubt a couple of exchanges being blown up would even be noticed these days, apart from the bang of course!

I bet you'd still get your bill from BT :lol:
 
Strangely enough there was a flood and fire in Paddington exchange today and its caused chaos.

From memory that is a rather large exchange though and no doubt providing a fair bit of very lucrative overtime this weekend for a good few engineers
 
Musicman said:
Under the Communications Act 2003 Schedule 17 para.2, telephone exchanges (and other sites used by telecommunications providers) are 'prohibited places' for the purposes of the Official Secrets Act 1911.

This makes it an offence



There is no ban on your photographing a telephone exchange, but the burden of proof effectively shifts to you to prove that your purposes were not espionage and/or did not prejudice the interests of the State.

There's a fairly full run-down on Prohibited Places here
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There's always one.
 
Just Google Imaged it and there are plenty. Go ahead and be damned. Always better to ask for forgivness than permission. :nuts:
 
Hawkmoon said:
Just Google Imaged it and there are plenty. Go ahead and be damned. Always better to ask for forgivness than permission. :nuts:
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Hmmmmmm :thinking: Google Street View..............

I'm off to find some locations :whistling:
 
Yep you can see my local building, although I can't say it worth looking at is it's now an old boarded up Post Office and there are websites avilable that tell you where all exchanges are via postcode
 
Basingstoke looks very posh, more used to the one's similar to Oldham

Think that's the exchange behind the boarded up Post Office

In smaller hamlets the biggest giveaway is the phone box, usually slap bang outside the Exchange
 
I worked for BT started as an apprentice early 80's then worked on Exchange maintenance on Strowger got to a Technical Officer. Left in 92 for wonga and went to college to study photography that BT paid for as part of the deal :)

Ottershaw, Chertsey, Weybridge, Wandsworth, Esher, West Ewell, and, Surbiton think I've still got some N links somewhere for busying group and final selectors :D
 
I often work out of the Cambridge BT office, not the greatest building but seeing all the cabling and exchange stuff could make for an interesting pic. Went to the BT Tower last year, would love to go back and take pics from the revolving gallery, excellent views.
 
Little John said:
We have one at the top of our street, I can't think why you would take photos of them, they are not the prettiest of buildings. But I did read that some of the rural ones are a little better to look at.

I have heard about the BT tower in London shouldn't be photographed, never sure if that is just a rumor or truth?
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I watched a documentry a while back on this place ( cant remember who it was but thinking Chris Barrie for some reason ) - any way I'm sure there was a passing remark about it be used if needed for goverment work so I suspect it may actually be a good fact.

What I do know for sure is that until recently the location of cell towers was a national secret as its esscially another communication method in contry should the worst happern.... iirc thats even covered by the wireless and telegraph act as is things like swearing on texts how ever just like that I doubt its ever enforced.

Terran
 
chivers67 said:
I worked for BT started as an apprentice early 80's then worked on Exchange maintenance on Strowger...

...I've still got some N links somewhere for busying group and final selectors :D
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Me too - forgot all about N links. Brings it all back now.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Strangely enough there was a flood and fire in Paddington exchange today and its caused chaos.

From memory that is a rather large exchange though and no doubt providing a fair bit of very lucrative overtime this weekend for a good few engineers
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Still causing chaos!! BT are slowly bringing services back up and then they fail again!!

For the last two days i having been trying to deal with the fall out from this failure and it's gonna take another few days to revert every thing back! Would be very interested to see the BT Paddington site so i can put a 'face' to the name.
 
I often work out of the Cambridge BT office
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Which building, the Exchange or Long Road?

I'm based at the Long Road site and pop into Central every now and then too.

Been up the tower a few times, used to have friends that worked on Outside Broadcasts which was based there.
Went for a social occasion too, but it was a rather cloudy day/evening and not the greatest view

I've still got some N links somewhere for busying group and final selectors
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Think you were actually supposed to find the fault rather than busy them out whilst you had a pint or two:)
 
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