Security
In the course of my research I interviewed two of my Post Office / BT Colleagues who had worked at CSOS Gilnahirk as visitors when the site was still operational. Brian Woodward was an apprentice electrician employed by the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works before joining the Post Office as a telephone engineer. If a job came up for Gilnahirk everyone disappeared as it was not the place to visit compared to other government establishments. On arrival at the main gate you were escorted to the men's locker room via the rear entrance where you were told to wait. If the location of the work in hand was an room / office, all the furniture was covered in white sheets. This also applied to anything on the walls of the office, maps etc. You were continually monitored until the job or task in hand was completed. You were then taken back to the men's locker room while the next room / office was covered up. This procedure even applied for the replacement of a Florence light fitting. Before entering the main set room you were told in no uncertain manner to be about your work, do not talk to any of the staff, do not look around you. It was in and out as quick as possible. Once again screens similar to those placed around a hospital bed would restrict your vision of the operators at work and any maps or notice boards on the walls were also covered. So why did no one like Gilnahirk?
The MPBW minibus would drop you at the gate (9am) and return in time to get you back to the depot for quitting time (4pm). If your work took say one hour, you spent all the remaining time at the station in the men's locker room. Should you require a comfort break you were taken to the toilet, but never left on your own. On a beautiful summer day you were kept in that men's locker room until the MPBW minibus returned.
My second account comes from the member of a Post Office cable gang when drawing in a new cable into the MDF (Main Distribution Frame) room. This was accessed by an outside door and although there was a door from the Telecom room into the main building it was locked and guarded whilst the visitors were on site. During that visit one of the cable gang required the use of the toilet whilst on site and he was told politely that there were no toilet facilities in the building for visitors.