© 2008 Museum of Communication
1930’s onwards
Moving on, design possibilities were extended by two important developments. Firstly, speakers became smaller, and so could be incorporated into the cabinet. One result of this was the introduction of "portables". The Burndept Portable 5 (1927) which cost £30, is typical of early portable design (see left). Considering that it weighed 42 lbs (18 kg) with batteries, "transportable" might have been a more appropriate word! The second development was the introduction in the early 1930's of Bakelite. It was cheap, lightweight and because it could be moulded, conventional shapes could be disregarded.
The "Round Ekco" (1935) was one of the most popular sets of the day, costing an affordable
£8.18.6d. Although available in colours, public preference was for the conventional
brown imitation burr walnut case. Radio played a very important role in WW2, and
the two major protagonists mass produced receivers at low cost. The Ekco model AD65
(see right), designed by Wells Coates for E.K. Cole Ltd. This is the first of a series
of 5 round Ekcos -
The Deutcher Kleinempfanger (1938) or "German People's Set" was a potent propaganda tool and had a very limited range, allowing listeners to be "educated and informed" by local transmissions but not "contaminated" by foreign ones. Note the swastika on the front of the Bakelite case. When, in 1943, it became apparent that many British people had radios which were no longer in working order, the Government authorised cheap replacement sets. These Wartime Civilian Receivers used the absolute minimum of material and components and were fitted into cabinets constructed from plywood or even tea chests.