How old is this socket?

[JP_]

Found this while clearing out subfloor, and pulled the old cable of the wall too.

 

[AndyPRK]

yes it is

 

[JohnD]

is the cable lead-sheathed?

 

[333rocky333]

!960 at a quess

 

[JP_]

is the cable lead-sheathed?

Could be, builder mentioned that when removing a chimney in another room a couple of years ago. It's a1930s property.

 

[wundaboy]

That socket looks late 1940s/ 1950s to me, wouldn't say it's original to the house.

The cable, on the other hand, looks very much like what I pulled out of my parents' 1936 house in Cardiff. That was VIR sheathed with black and white insulated cores, the earths being separate VIR with a red hessian oversheath all taken back to a bonding point on the cold rising water main in the airing cupboard. These were the original sockets:

I'd say the socket in the OP was probably added later.

 

[JohnW2]

... what I pulled out of my parents' 1936 house in Cardiff. That was VIR sheathed with black and white insulated cores, the earths being separate VIR with a red hessian oversheath all taken back to a bonding point on the cold rising water main in the airing cupboard. These were the original sockets: ....

When you say 'original', are you suggesting that the socket per your picture dates from 1936 (which would make it a fair bit older than even me )? I din't think that shuttered sockets existed back then?

Kind Regards, John

 

[wundaboy]

Yep, large circular holes in the skirting to accommodate the gubbins of those sockets (flushed into the skirtings), uniform throughout the house, with the aforementioned VIR connected to them, all taken back to a wooden MEM Kantark sub-fuseboard over the door in the breakfast room. Definitely original. It was obviously quite highly specced for the time.

I was surprised too.

ETA: just remembered, on one occasion going to a neighbour's house to help them out when they had a burst pipe, and they had the same sockets, so obviously that was what the developer specified. All upside down too, as in the pic.

 

[JohnW2]

Yep, large circular holes in the skirting to accommodate the gubbins of those sockets (flushed into the skirtings), uniform throughout the house, with the aforementioned VIR connected to them, all taken back to a wooden MEM Kantark sub-fuseboard over the door in the breakfast room. Definitely original. It was obviously quite highly specced for the time. I was surprised too.

I'm personally more amazed than surprised (for 1936). In the 50s, 60s and even early 70s, 5A/15A round-pin sockets were 'everywhere', but I don't recall having even been aware of the concept of shuttered round-pin sockets at the time, let alone ever seeing one. It's only much more recently that I have occasionally seen (newer) shuttered ones.

Kind Regards, John

 

[wundaboy]

There's a bit of background to it at this site, where I found the pic. Patent applied for in 1934, granted in 1935.

Mind you, I'm pretty sure the likes of MK would have already being doing shuttered sockets by then. Wasn't there one arrangement (not sure of the manufacturer) that had a keyed earth pin to open the shutter and activate the switch? The thing with such an arrangement was that the plug and socket had to be the same make.

 

[RF Lighting]

Cabling looks like between 1900 - 1930 ish. Socket is probably slightly later, maybe 1940 - 1950

 

[JP_]

House was built in 1934. I think new residents came in 1952, judging by newspaper found in rusty old trunk in the loft.
So maybe old cable, updated electrics.

 

[JBR]

Sorry, contributing nothing. I just want to say I'm fascinated by these old products.
Here's a picture of an old plug I remember when I was a young lad. It would have been around 1960, although the house (as I remember it) hadn't had much done to it for years, so I reckon this plug must have been a good deal earlier than 1960.
I also remember the sockets, which were metal with a long baekelite lever switch which, when 'on' would keep the plug locked in the socket (via the notch in the earth pin).
Any idea of the year when these plugs and sockets were first made?

 

[ericmark]

I remember sockets with contacts in them, you turned to switch on, pressed red button to remove, however not domestic, my granddads house has two 15 amp sockets one in hall and one on the landing, that was total for house, in the main they plugged into the lighting ceiling roses for items like the iron, he had an electric drill a wolfcub, which I think I still have, so I suspect he must have fitted some extra sockets as the drill needed an earth, the 13A socket was developed during the second world war ready for rebuilding after the war, so all pre-war houses had some round pin socket of some type.
But this web site shows many of the old and unusual plugs and sockets.

 

[JBR]

I remember sockets with contacts in them, you turned to switch on, pressed red button to remove, however not domestic, my granddads house has two 15 amp sockets one in hall and one on the landing, that was total for house, in the main they plugged into the lighting ceiling roses for items like the iron, he had an electric drill a wolfcub, which I think I still have, so I suspect he must have fitted some extra sockets as the drill needed an earth, the 13A socket was developed during the second world war ready for rebuilding after the war, so all pre-war houses had some round pin socket of some type.
But this web site shows many of the old and unusual plugs and sockets.

Thanks for this.
Looking at the examples on that web site, I suspect that 'my' plug and socket would have been c.1950 or possibly even pre-war.
I remember at the time (about 1960) my dad arranged to have the socket (sockets? - there could well have been more than one) replaced with a square pin type - and hopefully some rewiring! My dad, with all due respect, was a tight-wad (as am I), so I don't think he'd have had such work done unless it was really necessary.
I wish I'd kept those old plugs and sockets as they'd be museum pieces now, though such ideas probably wouldn't have occurred to an 8 or 10 year-old at the time.