The Telephone Museum, Milton Keynes

This wall telephone in a varnished wooden case, Telephone No 221, is a slightly later version of the 121 using a handset instead of a fixed transmitter and Bell receiver.

A delight of Milton Keynes is that much of the equipment is hands-on. Here a young visitor is wondering what a dial is.

And the band of dedicated volunteers are always willing to demonstrate things.

It's not all Strowger equipment. A crossbar switch can be seen on a high shelf.

Outside can be seen this mobile exchange, used to provide service in areas which had outgrown there current exchange and urgently needed more capacity.

Inside it is in full working order, if a bit cramped.

Donated from the BT Collection is this Polecat which allows a small gang to erect telephone poles very quickly. The hydraulic arm contains an auger for drilling the hole and a sling to lift the pole into place.

The Roadphone was used as BT publicity at outdoor events such as county shows. It also housed several payphones for public use. It's possibly the largest telephone handset in Britain.

Inside the Transport Hall are a number of well-restored vehicles, including this handcart for street wiring gangs. Its legend reads 'GPO Telegraphs Engineer's Dept No 1'

Also in the Transport Hall is this magnificent lorry along with a Morris van and a more recent trailer in Post Office Telephones livery.