The Development of Telecoms - Taunton
Taunton, dating from Saxon times and the scene of the trial known in history as "The Bloody Assizes", is now best known for its public school and colleges and as a shopping and commercial centre of one of the richest agricultural districts in England.
It is the County Town of Somerset and, lying on the A38 main road between Bodmin in the west and Derby in the midlands, is a natural communications and touring centre and one of the principal gateways to the West Country. Another of Taunton's claims to fame is that of being the first town in the country to light its streets by electricity.
The Taunton telephone area covers North Devon, most of Somerset and part of Dorset. From Wincanton in the east to Hartland in the west is roughly 100 miles.
Exmoor, rugged and sparsely populated and the Quantock Hills, both with extensive National Forests, lie to the west and north and on the north coast are Bideford, Barnstaple, llfracombe and Minehead well-known holiday resorts.
The rest of the area is mainly agricultural, but Bridgwater and, in the south, Yeovil are noted for light engineering and glove and aircraft manufacture respectively.
There are 110 telephone exchanges in the area with 32,441 exchange connections and 48,466 stations. 92 exchanges are automatic and the total staff (excluding telephonists) is 769.
