70s telephones

A phone from the 70s can be a fab addition to a retro style room. Technology in the 70s allowed for push-button dialing and more modern looking phones. However, most people went for the classic telephone shape with a retro style dial.

In the 70s people in the UK still had to rent phones from the GPO. There was no option to buy your own phone and there was a limited range of choice available.

If you redocarating in a 70s style, or just want a piece of nostalgia, this guide should help you identify the models that were around then and avoid the pitfalls.

746 telephone

The 746 telephone was the standard phone that most people opted for in the 70s. It was available in red, ivory, two tone green, two tone grey, blue, yellow or black.

You could also get this telephone as a wallphone.

Read more about the 746 telephone and how to buy a good one.

Trimphone

The Trimphone design dates from 1964 and the GPO first launched them on a trial basis in the 60s. However, it only became available towards the end of the 60s. It was in the 70s that the Trimphone became the trendy phone. Think Abigail's party.

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Buy a new Trimphone from Retrowow.

Push-button trimphone

A touch of sophistication and style was offered to the 70s' household with the Push-button or Press-button Trimphone. The Push-button Trimphone was more expensive to rent than the Trimphone and became the ultimate status phone in the 70s.

Read more: Push-button Trimphone.

The traditional style telephone was also available as in a Push-button variant. These were more likely to be found in businesses rather than in the home.

776 Compact telephone

As an alternative to the standard 746 phone, the GPO offered a Compact telephone, the 776. There was a special commemorative version for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.

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Candlestick phones

The Push-button Trimphone represented the modern forward looking aspect of the 70s which embraced digital watches, colour TV and pocket calculators. For some though, modern was old hat. The appeal of vintage design and nostalgia, which became a prominent force in the 80s, began in the late 70s.

If your idea of cutting edge style was Victorian or Art Deco, and you could afford it, the GPO provided Special Range Telephones (SRT) available at substantial extra cost. The Candlestick or S1005B is one example.

The Special Range also included leather covered Trimphones, as well as novelty Mickey Mouse phones.