Back in the fiftes

Back in the nineteen fifties Britain was in the grip of post war austerity. Everything was in short supply and the government tried hard to raise the national morale in every way possible.

Clearly the 1953 Coronation was a great opportunity to lift the people's spirits, and this was the ideal event to showcase the new Television network. So the Coronation was the first National Event to be televised. 

However there was a problem. 

Industry was instructed to turn all the melted down Spitfires back into aluminium saucepans and wrought iron railing. Thus there were no materials left over for the emerging TV aerial business. This is why many of the earliest aerials were in fact made of wood.

This is a rare remaining example located close to Alexadra Palace.


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