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Where To Get Sets and Parts For discussions about swapmeets, rallies, NVCF and BVWS, car boot sales, antique and charity shops, dealers, newspaper adverts, the local tip and just about any other source of equipment (other than eBay).

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Old 9th Apr 2015, 5:12 pm   #1
ukcol
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Default John Birkett, the last of a kind.

I was chatting to John Birkett this morning in his shop about how long he'd been in Lincoln. He had worked as an Engineer for HMV after the war calling on dealers and customers to sort problems out. The HMV service operation was closed at the end of the 1950s and he found himself redundant.

He opened his Lincoln shop in 1960 and is still going of course. He is now 87 years of age and sadly struggling with very poor eyesight.

There used to be many shops like his, particularly around North London where I came from, and I casually remarked that there can't be many left now. "This is the only shop of its kind in the country now," he told me, "Henrys is still going but they only do modern stuff now".

He has sold off all his valve stock but there is still plenty of difficult to find components in his shop. I bought some chassis mounting insulated MES lamp holders and some wander plugs and said fair well.
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Old 9th Apr 2015, 5:18 pm   #2
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

I have always viewed visiting Lincoln as a pilgrimage, and I don't mean the cathedral!

A thoroughly genuine and nice chap.

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Old 27th Apr 2015, 12:47 pm   #3
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

Thanks for that! I was only thinking of Birketts just the other day and wondering if it still existed. I must visit it very soon-when it's gone it's gone :-(
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Old 28th Apr 2015, 10:27 am   #4
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

Does any one know his opening days and the times. Had some good buys from John, used to park my motor bike outside his shop years ago. Straight through the Stonebow and up the strait. No yellow lines, one way street or parking wardens. wasn't life wonderful in the 1950/60s.
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Old 28th Apr 2015, 6:16 pm   #5
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ex 2 Base View Post
Does any one know his opening days and the times.
Answering your question (partly). The shop is closed all day on Wednesdays and doesn't open until about 10 AM. His 'phone number is available via your search engine if you need more detail.
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Old 5th Jun 2015, 12:36 am   #6
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

Sad to hear about his degrading eyesight.

I'm pretty sure he used to advertise in various Electronics magazines back in the early 90s and also sold some weird and wonderful surplus Radio gear.

I've had a quick Google around but I've failed to find a website, so I presume his business is "visit only? If this is the case, it's a pity, as I like to contribute to these niche traders as opposed to the larger companies.
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Old 5th Jun 2015, 7:33 am   #7
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

I think he still runs his advert in SPRAT.

I've bought things from him by phone/post in the past.

I particularly remember him advertising some mini circuits RAY-3 high level mixers at a very low price. I phoned and asked him if the price was a typo, but he explained that the amateur radio world saw the MD108 as THE diode ring mixer, and that anything else was at best a substitute. Real MD108 would fetch a higher price than any other part, irrespective of performance! I wanted to buy some, but I didn't want John to lose out.

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Old 5th Jun 2015, 8:18 am   #8
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

He still has adverts in PW and is mentioned on this site (just a couple of pics of the shop really) http://www.zyra.org.uk/birkett.htm but does not do internet sales.
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Old 8th Jun 2015, 2:40 pm   #9
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

I went to John's shop about 2 months ago; caught him on a Monday, he wasn't open as such but he sold me some B9G valve sockets,screened cable, some pots and other bits and pieces. All at excellent prices.

He wasn't in good fettle, but who is at that age? I don't know John well, but get the feeling that he's happily coasting downhill. At his age and health, running an Internet business isn't an option. I mentioned he was quite famous here on vintage forums on the Interweb to him. His reaction was a bit like how most of us would react of a certain age, if someone asked how we feel about Death Metal, One Direction or the state of whelk farming in Tanzania.

If you're about in Lincoln, his shop is still there and well worth a visit; not sure how long he'll be there. Can't be easy for him as his shop is on a steep hill.

Andy.
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Old 8th Jun 2015, 7:56 pm   #10
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

I would echo the comments by Andy in the above post, summing the situation up perfectly.

To get the full picture of this wonderful and historic radio and electronics shop I’ll include links to a couple of important previous threads. The first is another thread that was started about the shop and the second is a page from a general thread about past traders including John Birkett:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=54144

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...=93489&page=17

John does have one of his daughters who helps him in the shop, she’s not all that knowledgeable as regards the components etc., but she does her best. He’s also had various ‘old boys’, radio hams etc. in there helping from time to time, but they don’t seem to last very long!

Opening times – John doesn’t always keep to his opening times. If he’s not feeling so good or things are slack then he’ll close up early, so be warned if you’re making a special journey!

It is a great shame about him getting rid of all his valves, and although I shouldn’t, I seem to find myself mentioning it nearly every time I’m in there. As he says, though, there were many thousands and they were all on the top floors of the building and he just couldn’t keep having to try and get up there every time someone wanted one. Also, he told me that they weren’t in any sort of order, so it was hard to find specific valves and I think he didn’t trust other people to go up there sorting through stuff.

I’ll now paint a picture of this ‘classic’ shop and its location in the City of Lincoln. I took these pictures about 18 months ago when I used to work in the city and would have a wander round the area at lunch times. I intended to post them on the previous thread about the shop, but never got round to it.

The first picture below is if you were to come to the shop from the north (up-hill) part of the city. This shot is taken facing the historic ‘Jews House’. You would turn left down the hill to the shop. The next picture shows the first shop on the right just down from ‘Jews House’. This small shop isn’t open (unless you want something from it by arrangement) and is just used as a store. Going past this shop down the hill you’ll come to the main shop on the left as shown in the next two pictures. This shop is a double shop, but only the left hand part is actually now used as a shop, the right hand side being mainly storage and display. The last picture shows the position of the main shop on the right hand side of the street as you would approach it from the south (city centre) going up the hill:-
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Old 8th Jun 2015, 8:12 pm   #11
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

A few more pics:-
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Old 8th Jun 2015, 8:41 pm   #12
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

A bit more info in this link:-

http://www.vmars.org.uk/sitedata/files/NS_Oct_2013.pdf
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Old 10th Jun 2015, 5:19 pm   #13
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

I have often written to J Birket ordered parts and had them send them to my brother in the UK, I had better pull my socks up if I want more parts by the sound of things.

Amazing that John is still working at the age of 87, does anyone know if his wife is still at the shop because I have spoken to her once or twice. A few years back there was another chap there that seemed quite capable but electronics didn't seem to be his main interest.

I know that J. Birkett has (or did have) a lot of now difficult to get sockets for valves and cathode ray tubes, not to mention B7g plugs, B9a plugs, and Octalplugs according to PW advertisments. Birketts also have dial cord in 10metre lengths.

Tony
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Old 11th Jun 2015, 5:46 pm   #14
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

A hurrah from me, too- davidw's post inspired me to get on the blower for a miscellany of bits and pieces and a small but heavy parcel of good quality and very traditional parts arrived today for a very traditional price- excellent. Just the smell of opening the box took me back two or three decades or more to MoD stores and those many now-defunct surplus stockists. Perhaps someone should tell John that there are audiophile sites asking vastly more for some of the parts he supplies- in one case I saw recently, over 100x the price! (Whether anyone has actually paid that much, I don't know- I hope not).

He's evidently a little hard of hearing now, too, but I hope he can continue with what has obviously been a lifetime of rewarding and knowledgeable work. And thanks to Paul and the mods for letting the thread run- I realise that overt commercial promotion goes against the spirit of the forum but I'm sure that they would concur that this is a worthy case that has kept radio amateurs, vintage enthusiasts and electronics tinkerers generally going for decades.
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Old 11th Jun 2015, 11:27 pm   #15
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Default Re: John Birkett, the last of a kind.

Hi All.

Just came across this thread. I know Birketts well. As a lad in the seventies I used to shop there.
We were stationed at Scampton. In those days it was OC71s etc, I am now into vintage radios.
I'm not that familiar with valve stuff but I'm learning.
My parents and two sisters live in Lincoln so I get to visit them occasionally and then up to John's to see what gems he has.
Its nice to see he's still open as his shop is legendary.
Its a real shame he has sold his valves!!!
All the best
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