Title
1930’s and Baird Television Ltd. photographs
Reference
WES/B/4
Production date
1928 - 1937
Creator
- West, A. G. D.BiographyBiography
Arthur Gilbert Dixon West was a major figure in British communications from 1923, and his career bridged several areas of communication history: the military, the early BBC, the recording industry (His Master's Voice), and Baird Television Ltd, and Cinema Television Ltd.
Earning the rank of Captain as a wireless engineer in the Great War, West went on to work for the Cavendish Laboratory under Lord Rutherford. He left this prestigious role to join the fledging BBC in 1923 in only its second year of existence. There he was in charge of several historical broadcasts including the first broadcast of American radio in Britain, and the first outdoor broadcast ever made by the BBC, Beatrice Harrison playing cello with nightingales in her garden.
By 1931 he was working for HMV, making the crucial visit to American sister company RCA to see closed-door demonstrations of Vladimir Zworykin's revolutionary all-electronic television system, taking detailed notes. Upon his return to England, his employers immediately changed its direction from mechanical to electronic television, paving the way for the introduction of 405-line television in Britain by 1936.
When Isaac Shoenberg was appointed research engineer at HMV, West soon left and ended up working for their competition, Baird Television Ltd, as chief engineer. It was in fact West, not John Logie Baird, who was in charge of the Baird system when the BBC began its television service at Alexandra Palace in late 1936. When Baird Television Ltd lost the bid to provide television equipment to the BBC, the company increased its manufacturing of home television receivers. In collaboration with Gaumont-British, a subsidary company was formed, Cinema Television, which began to equip large theatres and cinemas for television.
During WWII, when all television was shut down, West was the head engineer in charge of Cinema Television's contribution to the war effort, including mine detectors, proximity fuses, and radar scopes, and continued with the conversion back to peacetime manufacturing after the war.
West died suddenly in 1949 in a mountain climbing accident in Switzerland.
Scope and Content
Photographs and associated dating from the 1930's which primarily relate to A.G.D. West and his colleagues working at Baird Television Ltd. Subjects of the photographs include television broadcasts from the Baird Television Studios at Crystal Palace and the Crystal Palace Fire.
Extent
2 files [35 items]
Level of description
SUB-SERIES
Repository name
National Science and Media Museum, Bradford
Associated people and organisations
- Baird Television LtdBiographyBiography
In 1927 The Baird Television Development Company was established to acquire the rights to John Logie Baird's television system from Television Ltd of Motorgraph House. Baird's factory was based at Long Acre in London.
In 1928 Baird made the first transatlantic television transmission, from London to Hartsdale, New York; the BBC decided that the system was not ready for experimental transmission from its transmitters. Later in 1928 Baird International Television Ltd was incorporated as a public company that would have a controlling interest in the Development Company including a range of other inventions including Noctovision (infra-red vision), Phonovision on gramophone records, facsimile telegraphy.
In 1929 the BBC agreed to start experimental broadcasts outside normal broadcast hours. The BBC transmitters were used to broadcast television programmes using the 30-line Baird system from 1929 to 1932. Plessey Co manufactured the first production televisions for Baird.
In 1930 The International Company would absorb the Development Company; a new name would be given to the company: Baird Television Ltd. From 1932 to 1935, the BBC also produced the programmes in their own studio at 16 Portland Place.
In 1936 the BBC began transmitting Baird 240-line transmissions alternated with the Marconi-EMI Television Co's electronic scanning system which had recently been improved to 405 lines. The Baird system at the time involved an intermediate film process, where footage was shot on cine film which was rapidly developed and scanned.
The company had access to Philo T. Farnsworth's electronic "Image Dissector" camera via a patent-sharing agreement. However, the Image Dissector camera was found to be lacking in light sensitivity, requiring excessive levels of illumination. Baird used the Farnsworth tubes instead to scan cine film, in which capacity they proved serviceable through prone to dropouts and other problems. Farnsworth himself came to London to Baird's Crystal Palace laboratories in 1936 but was unable to fully solve the problem; the fire that burned the Palace to the ground later that year further hampered the Baird company's ability to compete.
The BBC ceased broadcasting with the Baird system in February 1937. In 1938 Baird Television Ltd worked with Gaumont-British to equip large theatres and cinemas. In 1939 Baird Television Ltd announced that from June they would undertake all manufacturing themselves and cease working with Bush Radio.
In 1940 Baird Television Ltd was acquired by Cinema-Television Ltd (part of Gaumont British).
In 1948 Scophony Ltd acquired John Logie Baird Ltd and its associate company W. Andrew Bryce and Co of Lancelot Rd, Wembley; a new factory was opened at Wells and expansion of television production at the Wembley factory. In 1949 Scophony Ltd became Scophony-Baird Ltd, of Lancelot Road, Wembley, Middlesex.
In 1949 W. Andrew Bryce and Co and John Logie Baird Ltd were voluntarily wound-up.
In September 1952, Scophony-Baird Ltd changed its name to Baird Television Ltd. In 1954 Baird Television Ltd acquired Hartley Electromotives Ltd and renamed the company as Hartley Baird, who were proprietors of Baird Television Ltd.
In 1954 the company acquired Ambassador Radio and Television Ltd, and in 1957 a majority interest acquired by Camp Bird.
In 1959 Baird Television Ltd sold its interest in Ambassador Radio and Television and Telecast Rentals.
In 1960 Radio Rentals acquired the Baird Company. Radio Rentals changed the name of its manufacturing subsidiary in Bradford, Mains Radio Gramophone, to Baird Television, to emphasise its position in the manufacturing of televisions.
Subject
Conditions governing access
Access is given in accordance with the NSMM access policy. This collection is available for consultation by researchers in Insight, the museum's Collections and Research Centre
Conditions governing Reproduction
Copies may be supplied of items in the collection, provided that the copying process used does not damage the item or is not detrimental to its preservation. Copies will be supplied in accordance with the NSMM's terms and conditions for the supply and reproduction of copies, and the provisions of any relevant copyright legislation.