This website has been compiled as a pictorial record of the development of the premises latterly known as New Century Park, but which for most of its life was known as Telephone Works, the head office of GEC Telecommunications.

In more recent times the company became known firstly as GEC-AEI Telecommunications in the 1960s, GPT in the 1980s, then Marconi, and finally, after the majority of the company was sold to Ericsson, the remaining part of what was once GEC is now known as Telent plc.  Both Ericsson and Telent have now vacated the site, which is being demolished prior to re-development.

The website is intended to be a nostalgic look back at the Telephone Works site, and is not intended to be a history of the company, nor a critique of the politics which brought about the great changes we have seen.  A brief history section has however been included as a necessity to put the development of the Telephone Works site into perspective.

The website has been compiled by former employee Dave Jessop, using archive photographs which were discovered during a "tidy up" as the site contracted.  Except where stated, all photographs remain the property of Telent plc, the direct descendent of the former GEC company, and must not be used in any form without their express permission.  Please note the words "former employee"!  I now have no connection with the company, so am unable to answer any questions about current affairs there.

In many cases, the photographs were not dated or indexed, so the date attributed to them has been arrived at by a process of deduction from other known dates, and could therefore, in some cases, not be strictly accurate.  Where an exact date is quoted, it will have been written on the back of the original photo, and is presumed correct!

Some of the captions say which direction the photographer is facing.  Telephone Road and Brindle Avenue both run approximately North-South, with Binley Road at the Northern end.  Glencoe Road, Bourne Road and First and Second Avenues run approximately East-West, with Brindle Avenue, and now Allard Way, towards the Eastern end - see the Site Plans.

The website is best viewed at a resolution of 1024 pixels wide, as I have made the pictures as large as is practical, to show as much detail as possible.

If you discover any bugs in this website, or have any comments, queries, or additional information, please use the Contact Us link on the left to get in touch.

Please use the links on the left to navigate through the pages, and enjoy!

Last update: 17/03/11