An in-person event only. No need to sign up, just come along – all are welcome.

This talk is about the architectural history of telephone exchange buildings in Britain and the changing relationships between architecture, technology and the state. It traces the architectural, technological and historical developments from the opening of Europe’s first telephone exchange in 1879 and the creation of Britain’s first nationalised industry, through war-time constraints, iconic buildings and standard types, network expansion, automation and the ‘waving goodbye to the hello girls’, to present day and the fast approaching end of the private switched telephone network (PSTN), which will make the majority of the UK’s 5,600 telephone exchange buildings redundant.

About the Lecturer

Lisa Kinch is an architect and PhD Student at Lancaster University, where she is researching the history of post-war telephone exchange buildings and the relationships between ‘official’ architecture, technology and the state. She completed a Masters in Architecture and Urbanism followed by a Masters in Architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture, where she now tutors part-time.