BT museum to close

BT museum to close

British Telecom is to close the shutters on its national telephones museum, blaming falling attendances and commercial pressures. The central London site houses some 800 exhibits from the UK's dominant role in the development of telephones and telegraphs from the early 19th century to the most modern fibre optic technology.

Despite free admission the museum attracted just 20,000 visitors last year and will shut for good on 1 August. Four staff will be redeployed or take voluntary redundancy, while the remaining two senior employees will try to find a new home for the world's largest collection, which includes a warehouse near Heathrow airport filled with tens of thousands of items. BT insisted it remained committed to managing its heritage. Staff were said to be "very sad" about the decision.