Brass number 1 microphone. This telephone was used from 1906 until 1929. Although the Three Counties Asylum had an internal telephone system since 1891, it was not until 1908 that it had an external telephone system set up by the General Post Office (GPO). The initial cost to set this up was £60 plus call costs. The GPO agreed to supply all the instruments to the asylum for £5, which allowed for 500 calls per year. Additional calls were charged 1d per call. Due to the nature of the asylum, all outside exchange operators were told of the need of strict confidentiality when dealing with asylum calls.
