Bakelite Telephones

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 14:15:55 GMT

The classic 300 type bakelite telephone was first introduced into the UK arround 1934, and contained the revolutionary idea of an internal bell. Earlier 162/232 telephones required an external bell set. This elegant 332 telephone was designed jointly by the British Post Office engineering department & Ericsson telephones Ltd. I beleive this bakelite telephone represented the pinnacle in a golden age of telephone design.

The nickname for this type of telephone was the “cheese dish”. I believe thus is because the sloping front resembles a dish for cheese. These telephones were last produced in early 1960’s and represent a bygone age where the telephone was a thing of beauty and classic design. In the 40’s and 50’s these bakelite telephones were regarded as a status symbol, an item of elegant luxury, rather than the simple functional tool the telephone later became.