What is this on my house?!

AHAR

Hi,
My curiosity has got the better of me and I figured someone on here may know the answer...
In my street of semi-detached houses the telephone wires from the telegraph poles run to the front of the houses but spanning the gap between the separate semis at the back are cables of some sort. What could they be?
Thanks



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molerat

Communal aerial tv or piped radio ? What does the cable go into, is there a junction box with a cable dropping down ?

AHAR

It's definitely separate from the TV aerials.
I've just poked my head up into the loft and I can see a wire emerge from near the base of the roof at the back, run up the inside of the felt and terminate in a tangled bundle with a loose end hanging from one of the rafters.

Jay99

probably a washing line, wind and all that

molerat

I stick by my guess. Google rediffusion. People think they are trendy with virgin cable but we had it in the 50's (radio) to 70's (tv).

AHAR

I had a closer look this morning - the cable runs along the fascia and doesn't appear to enter the house anywhere.
That one in the loft was a red herring. It actually was red too.

maninthestreet

Looks like the local squirrels have been doing some DIY and installed an aerial 'walkway' between the two houses.

moonrakerz

I would say phone. Do the lines from the pole go to every house ?
Are they from the "good old GPO days" when you (literally) shared a line ?

mttylad

I'll 2nd rediffusion's cable TV.

Are you in Burnley by chance?

I had similar running from house to house when I lived there.

VoucherMan

mttylad wrote: »

I'll 2nd rediffusion's cable TV.

Are you in Burnley by chance?

I had similar running from house to house when I lived there.

Thanks for that. I'd wondered what those bits of cable in the attic were for. You've probably just solved the mystery.

panchenlama

you're paying for next doors electricity...

cut it and watch your bill go down next month