Old Electrical Box

[LouiseH]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me what this is and do you know how old it is likely to be? It says ISCO AD on the front.

I've moved into an old house and am due to have the gas meter replaced but I have a feeling this is to do with the electrics, not the gas. It looks old so I'm not sure how safe it's likely to be.

Many thanks,
Louise

 

[plugwash]

That is the service cutout, where the supply cable come into your house and where the service fuse is located.

It's certainly an older unit but i'll have to leave the question of just how old to others.

 

[RandomGrinch]

This might be of interest to somebody?

 

[LouiseH]

Thanks for your replies. We're a bit unsure how old the house was so I was hoping this might give me an indication. It's either from the 1920s or 1940s.

 

[Taylortwocities]

It hard to say. My research on domestic electric installation gives a wide margin of dates.
By the 1930s new homes in urban areas of Britain were being lit by electricity. It took time for the National Grid to roll out electricity to most of the country, but the number of homes wired up increased from 6% in 1919 to two thirds by the end of the 1930s.

 

[RandomGrinch]

We're a bit unsure how old the house was so I was hoping this might give me an indication

If you are after a general idea of the age, old Ordnance Survey maps can be a useful research tool.

The National Library of Scotland has a fascinating online archive...

Ordnance Survey Maps - Map Images - National Library of Scotland

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

It took time for the National Grid to roll out electricity to most of the country, but the number of homes wired up increased from 6% in 1919 to two thirds by the end of the 1930s.

There were numerous local generators in use, before the National Grid came along, each supplying their own idea of what the voltage should be.

 

[Taylortwocities]

There were numerous local generators in use, before the National Grid came along, each supplying their own idea of what the voltage should be.

Aye

DC in some cases and still until the late 1950’s.

 

[LouiseH]

If you are after a general idea of the age, old Ordnance Survey maps can be a useful research tool.

The National Library of Scotland has a fascinating online archive...

Ordnance Survey Maps - Map Images - National Library of Scotland

Thank you!

The maps are fascinating. I literally spent hours looking at them! It looks like one of the maps from the 20's (IIRC) has a building where our house is but the shape doesn't appear to be correct.

Eon came out to look at it and had to refer it back to National Grid because of the age and likelihood of asbestos. They came out to have a look at it and have planned to come out and remove it.