Philomela (loudspeaker cabinet)

Custom made loudspeaker cabinet for electrodynamic loudspeaker

The cabinet is made of solid oak wood, partly veneered, with blackened wooden ornaments. The design of the cabinet is clearly linked to music. It has the shape of a string instrument and the loudspeaker grille is formed by seven stylised wooden organ pipes. "Philomela" is the name of an organ stop. In the Greek myth, Philomela, princess of Athens, was raped by Tereus, husband of her sister Procne. The gods changed Philomela into a nightingale.
The cabinet was probably made in the Netherlands and could be fitted with a Baker Selhurst moving coil speaker by Van Houten & Co., Hooidrift 167-169, Rotterdam. Other speakers could also be built in.
It is quite certain that this cabinet originally was fitted with a Baker electrodynamic loudspeaker with a diameter of 35 cm. Baker speakers were equipped with four semicircular mounting pieces. Prints of these mounting pieces can still be seen. The loudspeaker must have been intended for a large space, like a theatre, a ballroom or a pub.
The head office of Baker Selhurst was established at 89 Selhurst Road, South Norwood, London SE25, the address of the factory and the demonstration area was at 42 Cherry Orchard Road in East Croydon. Later they moved to 75 & 77 Sussex Rd., Croydon, Surrey, and the company name was changed to Baker Selhurst Radio Ltd.
The name plate bears the name of W. Wittkampf, Zutphen. The cabinet belonged to Willem Wittkampf, father of writer and newspaper journalist Willem Wittkampf (1924-1992).

Here you find 6 models, 6 with images and 1 with schematics for wireless sets etc. In French: TSF for Télégraphie sans fil.
All listed radios etc. from Unknown - CUSTOM BUILT: Netherlands Onbekend