Letter from Glyde Chaffey about phone installation
Bartholomew commissioned Glyde Chaffey & Co of Edinburgh to install an internal telephone system in Duncan Street. Embracing and utilising new technologies like this helped Bartholomew to remain competitive and, in many cases, gave them a competitive edge.
Duncan Street also benefited from its own air conditioning plant, installed sometime later to help overcome the problems of heat and humidity during the printing process. The gas powered printing presses used at Park Road were replaced by electrically powered machines, and the building even had a lift.
Phone installation letter — page 1
The first page of the letter from Glyde Chaffey & Co has a list of the rooms at Duncan Street 'in which inter-communication telephones might be fixed'.
Phone installation letter — page 2
The second page of Glyde Chaffey's letter goes on to explain how Bartholomew could use their internal telephone system to best advantage.
Being able to call different departments helped to improve efficiency. Without it, staff would have had to walk around Duncan Street with messages, which was a substantial building, over four floors.
Internal telephones were later complemented by a tannoy system, which performed a similar function.
