CARC Visit to the British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum 31 October 2009

On October 31, Club members Stewart (G3YSX), Richard (G4ANN) with XYL Trisha, Malcolm (G3NZP), Brian (G0IOE) and Peter (G4FYY) enjoyed an excellent visit to the home of Gerry Wells, vintage wireless restorer extraordinaire at his home/museum in Dulwich South London. Gerry, now in his 80th year, has been collecting and preserving vintage wireless since the late 1960’s and opened his home as the Museum proper in 1974. Today, the Museum includes vintage television as well as wireless and the intervening years have seen the collection extend beyond the house into purpose built workshops and out buildings at the bottom of his spacious garden.

There is nothing unusual on the outside of the house to hint at extraordinary treasures that lay within. Gerry’s house is one in a large Victorian terrace and the outside appears like any other in the street. The first clue that things might be somewhat different inside came when Gerry opened the front door wearing a white lab coat and we glimpsed for the first time row upon row of wooden wireless cabinets occupying every visible surface in the hall and disappearing into shadows up the stairs. Gerry welcomed us into a large front room where we were surrounded by yet more wireless and early televisions (including the very first television) for a preliminary cup of tea and a chat. This was an opportunity to get to know a little about Gerry’s life-long passion for wireless that began when he was just 4 years old. We learned how Gerry started collecting and repairing old wirelesses that he could not bear to see consigned to the scrap heap. We also learned about Gerry’s commercial success in manufacturing valve audio amplifiers and in vintage wireless restoration. In the latter case, [quote] ”it was like shooting fish in a barrel”.












Throughout this discussion, my attention was drawn to the most enormous audio horn behind Gerry’s chair that, from where I was sitting, appeared to be growing out of the back of Gerry’s head. Seeing our interest, Gerry moved his chair to reveal a very large wind-up gramophone on which he put a ’78. The volume and fidelity surprised us all.

Gerry was born in this house that is now the museum and has lived here all his life. These days his bedroom is on the ground floor for reasons that became apparent when he led us up stairs past more mahogany cabinets on more shelves to more rooms where beds no longer had any fitting place. Shelves upon shelves of wireless lined every wall. The landings also carried their share. Surely, here must be at least one of every type of British wireless ever made. And being the passionate restorer that Gerry is, most if not all were in working condition.












The visit to the workshops in the garden revealed yet another plethora of wireless history. There were rooms of glass cabinets containing hundreds of valves and components. Another room was lined with cabinets of drawers bursting with every spare part imaginable. Some rooms were punctuated with wireless and TV chassis. Yet another room was given over entirely to mains transformers. At one time, Gerry manufactured his own ‘R’ valves in these workshops. Today, one of the larger work areas is a classroom equipped with test benches where invited school children are encouraged to discover the magic of wireless for themselves.

We eventually returned to the house for a final cuppa (courtesy of Trisha who seemed to be able to find her way around any kitchen) and a wind-up discussion on the bygone era of wireless. Thank you Gerry for making the day such an interesting one.

Special thanks to John, G3VLH for organising the day, (and who, in the event, wasn’t able to make the visit) and to Richard G4ANN for transporting us all in his people carrier.

See the Museum’s web site at http://www.bvwm.org.uk for a virtual tour of the museum and comprehensive background information.

Peter G4FYY