These papers show Davy's first ideas for an electric telegraph from his early sketches in 1836 of a frictional electric telegraph to one worked by electromagentism which he developed 1836-1839. His first patent was lodged in 1837 in opposition to Cooke and Wheatstone's first patent. The papers indicate his efforts to find a purchaser for the patent rights and to establish a company to develop the telegraph. He made agreements with several business men but none of these arrangements bore any fruit. He also negotiated with the railway companies and demonstrated the telegraph for them. The papers record the efforts of his father, Thomas Davy, and several others, to continue Davy's negotiations with the railway companies and the arrangements which were made to re-exhibit a working model of the telegraph. The papers also relate to the sale of the patent to the Electric Telegraph Company in 1847. Fahie's memoir on Davy is included in the papers.

Correspondence, comprising a private letter book 1863-1867, and correspondence and reports relating to the laying of the West Indies cable 1869-1870. The private letter book contains bound letters refering to cable laying in India, the West Indies and Brazil, resistance testing to find faults on cables in a long letter to Fleeming Jenkin, mining companies with which Bright was involved, the Steam Engine Improvement Company and the Railway Lubricating Company. The volume contains many blank pages and some pages have been cut out. Some letters are illegible because of the very faint copy, and there appears to be a double impression on some pages suggesting that a second letter may have been copied onto the same page. The loose correspondence relates to the setting up of the West India and Panama Telegraph Company and includes reports and correspondence concerning the laying of the cable. Some of the papers were used in a court case in 1872 between the West India and Panama Telegraph Company and the India Rubber Company for failing in their contractual obligations.

Telecommunications minuted papers relating to Post Office telegraph and telephone services. Minuted papers were those papers which had been submitted to the Postmaster General for a decision, and then been retained in the Post Office registry.

At first, the papers minuted tended only to be the particular case submitted to the Postmaster General but, as time went on, registry staff followed a practice of continuing to add physically to an existing minuted case all other cases on that subject which came to hand. As a result, the minuted papers frequently consist of quite large bundles of files on a common subject spanning many years. The date range of the files is consequently often much earlier or much later than the date suggested by the Former Reference used by the registry staff.

POST 30 records concern telecommunications issues in England and Wales, 1792-1952; POST 31 concern Ireland, 1841-1960; and POST 32 concern Scotland, 1864-1966. On its introduction in 1921, POST 33 superseded these sequences and is concerned with telecommunications issues across all these geographies 1921-51, as does its successor in 1949, with POST 102 covering years 1936-76.

The subject of individual files among the minuted papers can be wide-ranging, from the mundane administrative minutiae to policy decisions on developments of critical importance. The diversity and depth of these files can be seen by such examples as the introduction of Bell's telephones to the Post Office (POST 30/330), signalling systems for Belfast and County Down Railway Company (POST 31/74) , arrangements for female telephonists working late duties (POST 32/254D), development of Rugby Radio station (POST 33/1079B), design of telephone kiosks by Giles Gilbert Scott (POST 33/1448), voice recording service for British and Allied armed forces (POST 102/6), telecommunication scheme plans in case of wartime invasion (POST 121/360), and the London to Birmingham television cable linke (POST 122/471).

Papers of Alice Fink, 1942-1949, comprise Red Cross telegram messages between Alice Redlich and her family in Berlin; copy documentation including certificate from the Jewish Committee for Relief Abroad in recognition of Alice's service and copy photographs of pre-war Berlin.

Working notes, correspondence, annotated papers and printed pamphlets relating to telegraphy, collected by Heaviside 1872-1921. The collection comprises: Notebooks mainly consisting of mathematical equations and calculations with drafts and transcripts of papers submitted to the Philosophical Magazine and the Electrician, covering subjects such as problems with long distance signal transmission and the development of a non-distortional circuit, duplex telegraphy, the age of the earth including the development of equations for heat loss from a spherical body, measurement of resistance, eletromagnetic theory of light, the transmission of an electric charge along a wire, Maxwell's equations, vector operators for mathematical calculations; Pamphlets and publications mainly relating to telegraphy, many annotated, including works on the analysis of cathode rays, radiation, radioactivity and early attempt to define the workings of the atom, telegraphy and telephony; Papers, comprising rough notes and calculations, including drafts of papers such as Operators in Physical Mathematics Parts 2 and 3, proof copies of Electromagnetic Theory with notes and calculations on the reverse, and correspondence with The Electrician and other periodicals over the publication of his articles; Official awards and honours presented to Heaviside and other assorted items, including the award of Cedergren Medal and Gottingen University Honorary Doctorate, 1924; Notes by Heaviside on plane waves and electrification, the application of zonal harmonics on physical problems, magnetic induction, gravitational dimensions, the magnetism of the earth, on the backs of old letters; Correspondence from notable scientists and mathematicians including Sir Oliver Lodge, W E Ayrton, W H Bragg, S P Thompson, and Sir William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs; Material found at Paignton, 1957, including Preliminary drafts of articles for Electromagnetic Theory; annotated galley proofs of Electromagnetic Theory; assorted papers, spare proofs of papers and miscellaneous correspondence, and additional correspondence sent to Heaviside.

This series comprises the records of private telephone companies which were taken over by the Post Office in 1912. It consists of items relating to individual companies, National Telephone Company rules and instructions, staff related records, agreements, judicial proceedings, valuation of assets and a collection of early telephone directories.

Contract (copy) between the International Ocean Telegraph Company and the India Rubber Gutta Percha & Telegraph Works Company for work on submarine cables between Havana, Cuba, and Key West [Florida], 1873.

Records of the Western Telegraph Company, comprising letter books, 1883-1949; staff lists including European staff books, 1910-1930, and Rio staff list, 1899.

Papers of Professor Silvanus Phillips Thompson, 1828-1951, comprising correspondence, 1828-1919, notably with William Edward Ayrton, 1883-1899; Sir William Fletcher Barrett, [1878-1896]; Antoine Henri Becquerel, 1902-1908; Alexander Graham Bell, 1879-1880, concerning his experiments with the telephone; Sir Wiliam Crookes, 1876-1916; Michael Faraday, 1830-1835 [written to Richard Phillips]; Sir William Huggins, 1879-1907; David Edward Hughes, 1884-[1912], concerning magnetism; Sir Joseph Larmor, 1902-1916; Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, 1897-1919; Sir James Augustus Henry Murray, 1904-1913; Augusto Righi, [1902]-1916; William Thomson, 1882-1907; notes and printed material, [1907]-1951; photographs and prints, 1870-1910, notably photographs of friends and family.

Material created by Ronalds' during his time abroad, and as Honorary Director of the British Association's Observatory at Kew, with various notes on electricity, 1818-1871. It comprises material relating to Ronalds' travels abroad including journals, notebooks, sketchbooks, bills of expenses, and correspondence relating to two journeys to Italy, Egypt, the Holy Land and the Greek Islands; Material relating to 'Sketches at Carnac' and atmospheric electricity including pencil sketches and notes on atmospheric electricity taken from published sources; Correspondence while Honorary Director at the British Association's Observatory at Kew, including letters to Ronalds from various correspondents, mainly dealing with aspects of meteorology and magnetism, and the affairs of the Observatory at Kew, with technical discussion of self-registration by photography, bifilar magnets, atmospheric electricity; Notes, reports and copy correspondence relating to Ronalds' time at the Kew Observatory including a foolscap notebook with several loose insertions relating to a system devised by Ronalds for propelling or towing vessels in water by means of a stationary fulcrum; Papers relating to telescopes, fires, meteorology and Report on Kew for 1849-1850, including notes and diagrams relating to the design of a stand for a telescope, material relating to the design of a self-acting fire alarm, barometric and temperature readings, material relating to expenses and experiments at Kew for report on the observatory 1849-1850 presented to the British Association at their meeting in 1850, papers relating to a proposed 'Turner's Manual' which Ronalds began writing 1838-1839; Papers relating to perspective, the electric telegraph, galvanism and electromagnetism, electric columns, atmospheric electricity, aquatic propulsion and drawing and surveying; Notes and sketches on items relating to various subjects, including a small catalogue of books on meteorology, electricity etc, and a bundle of unused photographic paper and some tracings from Ronalds' self registering instruments; Printed material relating to Ronalds' perspective tracing instruments; Extracts from diaries and newspaper cuttings; Portrait album of well-known European scientists.

Personal and business correpondence of William Fothergill Cooke, mostly relating to his dispute with Charles Wheatstone, together with legal documents (copies and originals) connected with the case, in 7 bound volumes. Comprising personal correspondence, mainly to Cooke's mother relating to his hopes and expectations of the telegraph. The correspondence is mainly 1836-1841 with fewer letters for 1843, 1844, 1860, 1868, 1869, 1875, 1879 and 1880. There is also correspondence with Latimer Clark both before and after Cooke's death concerning a history of British Telegraphy and a life of Sir William Fothergill Cooke. Copies of this some of this correspondence can be found in Volume VII, and these are easier to read than the extensively crossed originals; Correspondence relating to railway companies, arbitration, and creation of the Electric Telegraph Company. The correspondence also shows the causes of the breakdown of his partnership with Wheatstone, the arbitration process and subsequent agreement to purchase Wheatstone's royalties in the shares; Correspondence between Mr Robert Wilson, solicitor acting for William Fothergill Cooke, and William Richardson, solicitor acting for Professor Wheatstone, relating to the arbitration between Cooke and Wheatstone, frequently concerning sending of drafts of agreement, with amendments, and with arranging appointments for arbitrators, and witnesses for the arbitration; Papers concerned with the arbitration between Cooke and Wheatstone, including bound copies of agreements and articles referred to in the arbitration; Papers submitted to the Arbitrators, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and John Frederic Daniell in 1841, mainly copies of evidence. They represent Cooke and Wheatstone's cases, and the Arbitrators' decision, with one later patent granted to Sir William Fothergill Cooke. There are also some poems about Autralia or the Central World and Neptune at the end of the volume; Papers concerning assignment by Wheatstone of all royalties and shares to Cooke, including extracts of letters and transfers and assignments of inventions, rights in patents and shares separating Wheatstone and Cooke's business affairs; Copies of letters, mainly from Volume I of the collection made by George Bristow of the successor firm to Wilson and Harrison with the idea of publishing them on the 50th anniversary of the first Patent for the Electric Telegraph. The Volume contains copies of three letters between Bristow and Latimer Clark, and copies of extracts of other letters. Several letters were cut out for publication in 1893. There are also some notes made by a clerk at Bristow's concerning the other original material and its whereabouts, and also references to 'The Electric Telegraph: Was It Invented by Professor Wheatstone?' in two volumes by Sir W F Cooke, 1856-1857. The copies are easier to read than the extensively crossed originals.

Notebooks of Philip de la Hay le Marquand, 1923-1924, relating to his work on telegraphy, magnetism and electricity at City University, London.

This series consists of a collection of arbitration cases between the Postmaster General and private telegraph companies; memoranda by heads of Post Office departments and their correspondence, records of the Central Telegraph Office, lighthouses and lightvessels, circuits and codes, mobile facilities for telegraphs at race meetings and special events; Letters Patent taken out by inventors and specifications of inventions.

Experimental notes, working papers, correspondence and lecture summaries compiled by Charles Wheatstone, 1836-1875, and photographs collected by him in that period. Notably including papers relating to the development and testing of the telegraph, [1836-1960]; descriptions of experiments and test results concerning the measurement of electromotive forces and electrical potential, [1840-1875]; experimental observations on the nature of magnetism, electricity and thermodynamics, including electromagnet design, batteries and dynamos, [1834-1855]; working papers relating to optics including experiments into refraction, colouration of compounds and polarisation, [1850-1875]; drafts of lectures on sound and musical instruments prepared by Wheatstone, [1832-1837]; material relating to the management of the Wheatstone collection of scientific instruments and library, 1890-1992; biographical material relating to the life of Wheatstone, the invention of the telegraph and Wheatstone's musical instrument manufacturing business, with unrelated newspapers, 1757-1975; stereoscopic photographs and glass negatives taken by Roger Fenton, Samuel Buckle, Jules Duboscq and others, featuring landscapes, still lifes, panoramic scenes of cities including Paris and Moscow and the interior and exterior of the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, Sydenham, 1851, and especially the Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1855, [1850-1901]; artefacts on loan from Department of Physics, King's College London, including telegraph apparatus, a nail fiddle and other prototype musical instruments, [1834-1875]; exhibition of scientific and musical instruments, [1834-1875].