Telephone (Exchange) Buildings 5 New York Street, Manchester

Rectangular island site bounded by New York Street, George Street Pine Street and Chain Street. The building was one of the few to survive the bombing raids of Christmas 1940 which laid waste to a considerable area of the warehouse district bounded by Parker Street, Charlotte Street Portland Street and Mosley Street.

THE TELEPHONE IN MANCHESTER: NEW EXCHANGE TO BE BUILT - In consequence of the rapid increase of the telephone' service in Manchester the National Telephone Company has found it necessary to purchase a large site at the corner of York and George Streets for the erection of a new telephone exchange, and the plans are at present being got out for an exchange of 10,000 lines, which will be equipped with all the most up-to- date and modern improvements for giving a first-class telephone service. When the new exchange is working the subscribers will have a service as up-to date as any in the world. [Guardian 15 August 1906 page 6]

TELEPHONE IMPROVEMENTS – The new “City” exchange in Manchester of the National Telephone Company is now being used for a considerable number of subscribers in the district. Until a few weeks ago the Manchester area was served by one main exchange only, but in future the business will be divided between the old “Central” Exchange in Portland Street, and the “City” exchange, which is situated a few hundred yards away in York Street. It is claimed that no exchange in the country is better equipped. The “City” exchange is worked on the modern central battery system, one of the chief features of which is that the operator receives the signal of a call automatically by the act in the part of the subscriber, of lifting the telephone receiver from its rest. All the signalling is done by means of small electric glow lamps.

The new building has been designed and erected to accommodate two 10,000 line exchanges. It is of the latest steel frame fireproof construction. The present switch room is on the third floor, and is a well-lighted. comfortable. and healthy place for the busy girls to work in. The second switch room, when it is required will be established on the first floor. The apparatus room on the second floor contains the distributing frames, the motors, dynamos; and batteries. On the main distributing frame the lines which, enter the exchange from the cables running to different parts of the city are arranged in numerical order, and the frame also carries devices which protect the apparatus from lightning and heavy currents. On a second frame the lines are distributed over the operators' positions on the switchboard so that the busy subscribers are evenly divided among the girls. An interesting room in the building is a school for operators. Girls selected by the matron, having passed the medical examination, are taught the use of the switchboard by means of models and diagrams, and they are not placed on duty until they have mastered the system. A dining room and. cosily furnished recreation room for the operators are also provided. …… The switchboard at the new exchange has accommodation for 6060 subscribers, but this capacity will be increased. About 50,000 calls a day are being received, each operator dealing with over a thousand calls. [Manchester Guardian 23 June 1909 page 8]

Reference    Manchester Guardian 15 August 1906 page 6
Reference    Manchester Guardian 6 December 1907 page 4 – Central Exchange
Reference    Manchester Guardian 23 June 1909 page 8]