{"id":4581,"date":"2025-02-28T09:30:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T09:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=4581"},"modified":"2025-02-26T08:45:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T08:45:05","slug":"dorchesters-radio-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2025\/02\/28\/dorchesters-radio-past\/","title":{"rendered":"World Radio Day: Photographing Dorchester’s Radio Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week we shared with you a snapshot of the old radio station in Dorchester<\/a>. This week, we wanted to take a further look at this station through the scope of two recently digitised photograph albums…<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 1. D-3431, Book 2, image 111. 1939.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the latter half of 2024 we had the pleasure of digitising two very large photographic albums that included an extensive range photographs made mostly during the 1940\u2019s of the old Beam Wireless Radio Station, which was situated along the Dorchester\/Bridport Road where the current coach station is \u2013 also formerly the site of Friary Press. The albums belong to a relative of the former Radio Station Manager Crispin Redshaw, who was not only an engineer but also a skilled and prolific photographer; his great enthusiasm for both photography and his place of work has resulted in an extensive collection of both informative, documentary and artistic photographs, and should appeal to both historians and photographers as well as general local interest \u2013 you may know some of the characters shown \u2013 do you have any stories to tell of relatives who worked there perhaps?<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 2. D-3431, Book 1, image 1. 1929.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The collection consists of interior and exterior photographs, portraits of employees at work, the equipment, an incredible image from below the camouflage netting that covered the station during the war (figure 5) as well as the exterior view (figures 3& 4).<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 3. D-3431, Book 2, image 42. 1945.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Figure 4. D-3431, Book 2, image 55. 1945<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Figure 5. D-3431, Book 2, image 54. 1945.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many photographs are annotated with the details of both the radio station and the photographic equipment and processes used; Redshaw was experimental in his approach to photographic chemistry and utilised a range of processes such as photogravure, infrared, along with contrast filters, experimenting with different films, printing papers & chemistry, and toning, for example here in figures 6 & 7.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 6. D-3431, Book 1, image 21. May 1942.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Figure 7. D-3431, Book 2, image 35.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The radio station was built in 1925-1926 by Italian Guglielmo Marconi, (whose first experiments in wireless technology began at the Haven Hotel in Bournemouth) and ceased operation in 1979. Mr W Vickers began construction of the station, and then joined the radio station as staff where he remained until his retirement. According to a newspaper article printed in the Dorset County Chronicle on 13 September 1956 (D-3369\/3\/1) the station employed approximately 100 men, and after a couple of name changes was merged with the G.P.O in 1950. It also trained local youngsters who had gained their GCE in Maths and Physics, to Technician Grade, reserving their employment for their return from National Service.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 8. D-3431, Book 1, image 24.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The station provided a global communications transmission service, and was controlled from London\u2019s Victoria Embankment :<\/p>\n

\u201cthe traffic is channelled to the station over landlines and then it is automatically transferred from landline to radio\u2026..deal[ing] with all government and commercial traffic including private messages and news pictures\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article, entitled \u2018Dorchester Radio Station Photo Pioneer\u2019 continues to discuss how the station was one of the first to experiment with a new system of transmitting photographs to enable them to appear the next day in a newspaper:<\/p>\n

\u201cat one end the negative is transmitted as two frequencies, black and white, and between the two are the semi-tones. On its swift journey the photo takes the form of a changing note. The receiving equipment decides whether each note is black or white, and the result is another negative\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One wonders whether Crispin Redshaw\u2019s interest in photography was instrumental in the stations involvement in this new system?<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 9. D-3431, Book 1, image 49. 10 October 1952.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Figure 10. D-3431, Book 1, image 59. 1953.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Figure 11. D-3431, Book 2, image 146. 1942.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Figure 12. D-3431, book 2, image 148. January 1943.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The station’s first transmission service was to New York, rising to 25 transmitters by 1956. Its closure was a result of the re-equipping of the Ongar station at Rugby and main services eventually transferring there, as new developing technologies started to make an ever-increasing presence.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 13. D-3431, Book 2, image 112. c.1935.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The albums contain 231 images specifically relating to the radio station, with the remaining 328 images showing local and national landscapes, family portraits, photographic equipment tests, insights in Dorset life in the 1940\u2019s and photographs of other radio stations, this is a collection to be explored! If you know any of the characters or have any stories to tell, we would love to hear from you!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Figure 14. D-3431, Book 2, image 116.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week we shared with you a snapshot of the old radio station in Dorchester. This week, we wanted to take a further look at this station through the scope of two recently digitised photograph albums… — In the latter half of 2024 we had the pleasure of digitising two very large photographic albums that… Read more World Radio Day: Photographing Dorchester’s Radio Past<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[82,17,33,659,109],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4581"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4581"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4597,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4581\/revisions\/4597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}