Birkett’s is a shop at the bottom of Steep Hill in Lincoln with a huge array of new and used electronic bits and pieces. Over the years many seem to have got to know the shop and owner and developed fond memories.
The windows are full of interesting paraphernalia – knobs, dials, switches, plugs…
More bits and pieces:
And more:
Every item in the window is neatly labelled and priced – a form of highly organised chaos.
I’ve had some interest in electronics since childhood, and although I spent a little bit of time in the shop, I haven’t yet got to know the owner very well. I recall Matthew, who was always very helpful and patient with my enquiries – he worked there for some years before moving on to other things. Some items I’ve bought from Birketts over the years are:
- Age 11 or so, I picked up Veroboard and some components for a computer controlled robot – I never completed the project, unfortunately.
- Solder – probably leaded.
- Speaker wire – I had an old amplifier and speakers, and I wanted to place a speaker further away from the amp.
- Shortly after finishing school, I bought a pile of old Cisco 3500(?) series switches – mostly they were a bit dodgy and struggled to boot up, but were good enough for practice for the CCNA exam.
- An unusual fuse, to trick a laser printer into thinking it had a new oil roller fitted.
- A relay, for converting a normally open door lock controller to work with a magnetic lock that required constant power to stay locked.
Birkett’s is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 10am until 3pm.
Graham Markall 