Candlestick Telephone. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

crestavega · 2nd Dec 2025, 7:47 pm

Hello all
time to attempt to resurrect an old piece that has been hanging around for ages.

This old candlestick phone came from my old Grandma's house in darkest Kent.
appears to have been robbed for spares, it has never been complete in my knowledge.

it appears to be lacking a dial and a transducer part for the earpiece.
the mouthpiece appears to be complete with a GPO & broad-arrow marked transducer, painted blue at the front, with No.10 B36/1 stamped onto it at the back.

any leads on where i might be able to find parts to rebuild this old girl? - and I need a bellset for it too. Then get it onto a VOIP-analogue adapter! what fun.

Dave Moll · 2nd Dec 2025, 8:56 pm

The "innards" and earcaps for the bell receivers do crop up on eBay from time to time. Unfortuately, nothing shows up currently. Of course, it may not have had a dial in the first place if it was connected to a manual exchange. As you have noted, what it would have had though is a bellset (such as either bellset no. 1 or bellset no.25, not only to provide a ringer but also the transmission bridge, as neither is included in this telephone (no. 150).

If you do not already have it, you might find it useful to download a copy of N-diagram 250, which shows how to wire up telephone 150, including wiring to bellset no. 1.

As to connecting it to a VoIP ATA, it shouldn't need anything more complicated than connecting the A and B legs to terminals 5 and 2 of a BT plug (or 4 and 3 of an RJ11 plug if that's what the ATA uses).

markgengine · 6th Dec 2025, 2:58 pm

My go-to site for telephone stuff is always "Bobs telephone file";
https://www.britishtelephones.com/

Pyramid162 · 7th Dec 2025, 3:27 pm

Here is a link for the correct No 10 dial for a candlestick No 150;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146994537582

pip5678 · 7th Dec 2025, 8:19 pm

Given the difficulty in obtaining parts I would consider adapting the induction coil from a 700 series telephone network board which could be housed in the candlestick base and using a trimphone earpiece Receiver, Inset No. 3 which would fit inside the bell receiver. I may have some suitable bits. It all depend on how original you want to keep it.

The Philpott · 26th Dec 2025, 11:18 am

There seem to still be quite a few of those old military field telephones around, the bellset from one of those might be adapted?

Dave

2nd Dec 2025, 7:47 pm	#1
crestavega Pentode Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Kirkwall, Orkney, UK. Posts: 178	Candlestick Telephone. Hello all time to attempt to resurrect an old piece that has been hanging around for ages. This old candlestick phone came from my old Grandma's house in darkest Kent. appears to have been robbed for spares, it has never been complete in my knowledge. it appears to be lacking a dial and a transducer part for the earpiece. the mouthpiece appears to be complete with a GPO & broad-arrow marked transducer, painted blue at the front, with No.10 B36/1 stamped onto it at the back. any leads on where i might be able to find parts to rebuild this old girl? - and I need a bellset for it too. Then get it onto a VOIP-analogue adapter! what fun. Attached Thumbnails

2nd Dec 2025, 8:56 pm	#2
Dave Moll Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK Posts: 6,447	Re: candlestick The "innards" and earcaps for the bell receivers do crop up on eBay from time to time. Unfortuately, nothing shows up currently. Of course, it may not have had a dial in the first place if it was connected to a manual exchange. As you have noted, what it would have had though is a bellset (such as either bellset no. 1 or bellset no.25, not only to provide a ringer but also the transmission bridge, as neither is included in this telephone (no. 150). If you do not already have it, you might find it useful to download a copy of N-diagram 250, which shows how to wire up telephone 150, including wiring to bellset no. 1. As to connecting it to a VoIP ATA, it shouldn't need anything more complicated than connecting the A and B legs to terminals 5 and 2 of a BT plug (or 4 and 3 of an RJ11 plug if that's what the ATA uses). __________________ Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)

6th Dec 2025, 2:58 pm	#3
markgengine Tetrode Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 70	Re: Candlestick Telephone. My go-to site for telephone stuff is always "Bobs telephone file"; https://www.britishtelephones.com/

7th Dec 2025, 3:27 pm	#4
Pyramid162 Diode Join Date: Dec 2025 Location: London, UK. Posts: 1	Re: Candlestick Telephone. Here is a link for the correct No 10 dial for a candlestick No 150; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146994537582

7th Dec 2025, 8:19 pm	#5
pip5678 Pentode Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Manchester, UK. Posts: 194	Re: Candlestick Telephone. Given the difficulty in obtaining parts I would consider adapting the induction coil from a 700 series telephone network board which could be housed in the candlestick base and using a trimphone earpiece Receiver, Inset No. 3 which would fit inside the bell receiver. I may have some suitable bits. It all depend on how original you want to keep it.

26th Dec 2025, 11:18 am	#6
The Philpott Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Colchester, Essex, UK. Posts: 4,477	Re: Candlestick Telephone. There seem to still be quite a few of those old military field telephones around, the bellset from one of those might be adapted? Dave