Our Collections
Following the closure of the Porthcurno Telegraph Station and training school, many important objects were at risk of being lost forever.
Thanks to a small group of passionate individuals with connections to Porthcurno, these historically significant objects were saved, and formed the basis of the museum’s unique collection. The collection now has Designated status in recognition of its national and international significance. It is one of only two collections in Cornwall to be awarded this status.
The collection is incredibly diverse, ranging from the museum buildings themselves to documents, artworks, photographs, working telegraph equipment and maps. It also includes the business archive of Cable & Wireless, which is an important resource for academics and family historians around the world.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Make the most of your experience at PK Porthcurno with our handy guide. Find out opening times, how you can reach us and more.
Model of Cableship Sovereign
This model is of the 11,200-ton cable ship ‘Sovereign’. Built in the early 1990s, ‘Sovereign’ was both a cable-layer and a cable-repair vessel. It had four cable tanks and was able to carry 6,200 tonnes of fibre optic cable. The model is in the colours of BT Marine. The real ship is now owned by Global Marine, Ltd.
Double-needle Telegraph
Inventor William Fothergill Cooke and scientist Charles Wheatstone patented a five-needle telegraph in 1837 which used six wires. But when some of those wires failed, they cut them to three, leaving their telegraph using only two needles. This meant a code had to be used as, unlike the five-needle telegraph, the two needles could not point to individual letters.
Emden Axe
During the First World War, the German light cruiser SMS ‘Emden’ made a name for itself in the Indian Ocean, raiding and capturing Allied ships. Its demise came when it attempted to destroy the British cable station in the Cocos Islands. The Germans tried to sever the communications link between Australia, Java, and Mauritius using this axe.
ETC Lapel Badge
During the First World War, men were called to the Front to fight. Many others, though, were working in vital industries such as communications. The Eastern Telegraph Company introduced lapel badges so the public would be able to recognise ETC staff and know they were doing their bit.
Distinguished Service Cross
The DSC is a military decoration awarded for acts of exemplary gallantry against the enemy at sea. This is one of only 4,524 awarded during World War Two. It was awarded to Captain Harold W.M. Milne for his actions as captain of the cable ship ‘Pacific’.
Edward Wilshaw Plaque
The ‘Edward Wilshaw’ was a cable repair ship built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd in 1949 and named for the Cable & Wireless chairman Sir Edward Wilshaw. It was based in Kenya and Gibraltar, and covered many of the cables in the Pacific Ocean. This plaque was located in the ante-room before the officers’ dining-saloon on the main-deck.
Display of Aden-to-Bombay Cable Samples
In 1870, work began on a submarine telegraph cable to connect Great Britain and India, via Aden, Suez, Malta, and Gibraltar. Samples of the cables used between Bombay (now Mumbai) and Aden are collected in this presentation display case. The cross-section of the shore-end cable is clearly thicker than the deep sea cable, illustrating the increased protection added to the cable as it ran into shallower waters.
Five-needle Telegraph
Developed by William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in 1837, the five-needle telegraph was installed on the Great Western Railway line between West Drayton and Paddington station, and was the first commercial electric telegraph in the world. It used needles to point at individual letters to spell out words. Due to the diamond layout of the letters, some had to be left out, like ‘C’, ‘Q’, and ‘Z’.