10/14/14

telephone exchange and barber shop

Pioneer Village in Stratford has this tiny phone exchange building from the past. "The Cardiff Exchange was built in 1889 and was moved to Mr I J Harrison’s property on Climie Road, then later re-sited at Taranaki Pioneer Village on 18.12.85. The telephone exchange is part of the old Inglewood Post Office Exchange from the same period and is part of what was a 100 line switchboard. A telephone office was opened in 1895 in Cardiff."

Yes, all the dial phones here in NZ have the numbers reversed from the US phones.


This is what a barber shop from the turn of the century would look like.



16 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Have been enjoying your trip to Stratford... the exchange office is so cute! YAM xx

bj said...

What a fun trip...

LV said...

Loved your post so much. Having worked for the telephone company 40 years this was very meaningful. I started in a small office on a switchboard like this.

Linda W. said...

Oh how interesting! Love the cute little red building.

susantroccoloauthor.com said...

With every series of photographs like this, I want even more to visit New Zealand.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I like the tiny telephone exchange. In the village here I grew up the exchange was in the local post office so the lady who worked there knew everyone's business! A game of darts while waiting for a haircut? A very civilised idea!

Anonymous said...

This is interesting! I had no ideas the phones were backwards....yours or ours? Ha.

Tom said...

How times have changed!!! Tom The Backroads Traveller

A Colorful World said...

I have been totally enjoying this Pioneer Village! Wonderful post! I loved seeing the telephone office!

Tanya Breese said...

how neat, and it's so strange to see a phone with a "backward" dial!

Lisa Gordon said...

I LOVE this!
What a wonderful place to explore, and that phone??? Just perfect!

doodles n daydreams said...

I love these little villages and there historic items. I used a phone like that many years ago, you forget when you don't see them. And my grandfather had razor strops like those behind the bathroom door, I used to be fascinated watching him sharpen his cut throat razor on it.

Diana

Roan said...

That would be a fun place to visit. Love that old telephone!

Ida said...

Fun post filled with many interesting things. I found the telephone numbers being reversed really odd but cool.

Amy Burzese said...

So cute on the outside and informative on the inside!

Unknown said...

And I still remember similar devices telephone :)