Bakelite English Telephone??

[Doug Rose]

Any idea what I have? I got this in a group of phones. Bakelite just shines and the drawer works well....Doug

[FABphones]

Any idea what I have? I got this in a group of phones. Bakelite just shines and the drawer works well....Doug

Label on bottom, GPO 330L.
Handset will have it's info to centre
(Photo good but dark to read). Should read 164.
Wrong handset cord.
#12 dial.
Refurbished (FWR 66).
Needs GPO dialcard. Directory card.

Photo of one of mine below showing dialcard, Directory Card, handset cord.

[tubaman]

...
Wrong handset cord.
...

As it was refurbished in '66 the handset cord may well be ok as the very late ones were curly plastic.
If you want to get it working the circuit diagram should be on the inside of the base under the drawer.
More details here - https://www.britishtelephones.com/t330.htm

[countryman]

There's a good scan of a directory card in this thread. FABphones was kind enough to help me out with it when I needed one for my 312.

[Doug Rose]

Thanks for all your answers. I have a black braided cloth cord, would this be the proper handset cord? I can't tell from the pics. Really immaculate condition and I plan on keeping it. First, I will check the schematics to see if it does work. I do love the English Bakelite phones...Doug

[Jack Ryan]

A Tele 330 is the basis of several telephones. As has been written, some information is given by the label on the base.

• 330L - Basic telephone based on a 332 but with provision for one button. It was supplied (as refurbished) with a lettered dial.
• FWR66 – The phone was refurbished in 1966 at the GPO Factory in Cwmcarn, Wales

The Tele 330 could be configured as a PBX extension (with a recall button) or as a telephone on an extension plan. As your phone has a recall label and a dial, it was used as an extension on a PABX.

The recall button was configured as a momentary Earth (Earth recall) so three wires were extended from the PABX to the telephone.

Regards
Jack

[FABphones]

Thanks for all your answers. I have a black braided cloth cord, would this be the proper handset cord?...

Brown is better if you have it, but black will look ok.
Nice phone which which will display well.

Link to printable dial cards:

http://www.telephonearchive.com/numbercards/location/england.html

Sample handset cord:

[tubaman]

Thanks for all your answers. I have a black braided cloth cord, would this be the proper handset cord? I can't tell from the pics. Really immaculate condition and I plan on keeping it. First, I will check the schematics to see if it does work. I do love the English Bakelite phones...Doug

Doug,
The cord you have is likely the original given the refurb date. If it has tie cords on the ends then it is the original one.
I'd leave as is.

[FABphones]

Tubaman makes a good point. If the existing cord is GPO issue better to keep it as is.

[.....]

I've got a basic 332L that been refurbished in 1965. It has the coiled cord, no drawer and a #12 dial.
My brother in law had sent it over to me from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland a few years ago. 
It had been their family home phone.

[Doug Rose]

Doug,
The cord you have is likely the original given the refurb date. If it has tie cords on the ends then it is the original one.
I'd leave as is.

thanks...I appreciate the info, I will leave it as is...Doug

[Doug Rose]

I am on an English set roll! I got another set, a GPO yesterday. I love this design. BUT I wasn't so lucky, even though it was extremely well packed the drawer cracked. I decided to keep it as it was so shiny and great braided cords. Hard to tell sitting on a shelf....but I KNOW!...Doug

[FABphones]

...I got another set, a GPO yesterday. I love this design. BUT I wasn't so lucky, even though it was extremely well packed the drawer cracked...

GPO 200 Series, yours a 232.
https://www.britishtelephones.com/t232.htm

An all time classic, no collection should be without one. This model was the third phone I added to my collection. Like yours, mine also has the wrong dial (should be a #10, or at the very least a #12) but I have never gotten around to swapping it out (photo below).

ETA: Could you add a photo of underneath, it will hopefully tell us whether yours originally had a dial.

These have a separate Bellset (#26), which can be either wall mounted or fixed directly beneath the phone (photo 3).

I have a few drawer fronts in my spares, but shipping from the EU to the US a little high.

I like this style so much I ended up collecting their variants as well (excuse the grubbiness, these are put to one side whilst building works in adjacent room).

Photos for comparison:

[Doug Rose]

thanks CJ bottom as requested. My Red one which is one of the First phones I ever bought. It was in an Antique store and they had a Green one as well. I only had enough to buy one. One of my big regrets. One like you had pictured as well....Doug

[countryman]

I've never seen a switch like that in the last pic but it looks really handy and useful!