Creator: Diana McCormack & Marta Leskard
Date: 2015
Abstract: On January 1st1926 the Very-Low-Frequency (16 kHz) transmitter came into service at Rugby Radio Station, Warwickshire, to transmit telegraph messages to the Commonwealth. The aerial tuning inductor from the transmitter installed at Rugby is now the centre piece of the Information Age gallery at the Science Museum, London.The fine tuning assembly, together with supporting framework, now standing in the gallery is only a portion of the original operating apparatus.
The object was donated to the museum by BT and partially dismantled for removal to the storage site at Wroughton, Wiltshire. Museum curatorial and conservation staff advised on how much of the object would be taken into the collection, and worked with BT staff to deconstruct and transport the object to get it safely to its new home.
Conservation work was then begun on the components of the object, to clean, repair and stabilise it so that it could be safely and effectively exhibited on open display to the public. Museum conservators worked with the heavy-lifting contractors from Constantine to rebuild the tuning coil at the centre of the gallery, in advance of other installation works. Conservators worked with the curator to ensure the object was displayed in a meaningful way and to retain as much as possible of the visible functionality of the assembly.
Reference: Diana McCormack & Marta Leskard, ‘Conservation of the aerial tuning inductor from Rugby Radio Station, Warwickshire, UK’, Big Stuff 2015
DOI Link:
| McCormack, Diana, & Leskard, Marta. (2015). Conservation of the aerial tuning inductor from Rugby Radio Station, Warwickshire, UK. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4087389 |
