This object represents an era when design, engineering and manufacturing were valued and made a major contribution to the British economy.
It is a 1/64 scale model of an oil filled high voltage switch designed by A Roxburgh (F.I.E.T.) at BTH Switchgear, Willesden.
The original was displayed outside the Dome of Discovery at the Festival of Britain in 1951.
Circuit breakers like this were installed in power generation plants worldwide, including Kariba.
BTH was later absorbed into AEI and then GEC, Marconi and finally BAe Systems.
Share this link: