5 May 2000: Wiring the world, 150 years of cable communications under the sea

Press Release - 5 May 2000

Wiring the World, 150 years of cable communication under the sea
A major new exhibition has opened at Porthcurno Museum of Submarine Telegraphy. Entitled "Wiring the World, 150 years of cable communication under the sea", it tells the story of the laying of international undersea communications cables. It describes the development of cables and cable laying and the important role they have played and still play in the growth of the modern world. The telephone and the Internet are becoming part of more and more people's lives and it is through undersea cables that most of the world's communication takes place.

The exhibition has been sponsored by Global Marine Systems Limited, the world leader in providing submarine installation and maintenance services to the telecommunications industry.

Wiring the World covers the period from 1850 to 2000, from the first international telecommunications cable laid 150 years ago across the English Channel to the very latest fibre-optic cables laid today.

It focuses on the great maritime history of cable laying and draws on the Collections held at Porthcurno. It includes original paintings of Cable Ships and early 19th century Admiralty Charts used during the laying of cables in all parts of the World.

For visitors of all ages there are also interactive exhibits, such as a huge model of a ship laying a cable and a model of a remotely controlled submersible used to locate buried cables. Visitors can also watch the electromechanical Semaphore Man send his message or even try to communicate between themselves with our home-made semaphore flags.

"Wiring The World" can be viewed in the museum gallery until the end of September 2001. The opening times are the same as for the museum: Sunday to Friday and Bank Holiday Saturdays, 10am -5pm, last admission at 4pm; July and August: open every day.

Admission to the exhibition is included in the museumÕs ticket price.

Contact Details:
Mary Godwin, tel: 01736 810 478; fax: 01736 810 640;
e-mail: Mary.Godwin@cw.com
Mark Steadman Tel: 01736 810 811; fax: 01736 810 640;
e-mail: mark.steadman@tunnels.demon.co.uk

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