1 Gang Telephone Socket - Plum

This is a single telephone point dressed in plum, a deep purple that reads almost aubergine in low light. The plate is screwless, so the front clips over a hidden inner frame and leaves an unbroken face with no screw heads to line up or paint around. The moulding measures 88mm square, the familiar single plate footprint, and it works on telephone and data circuits at low voltage rather than on mains power, which keeps it in the quiet half of a wiring plan.

We reach for coloured plates where white would look like an afterthought: a study wall in a dark ink, a hall papered in something busy, a bedroom where the plate is the only interruption at eye level. Plum is a friendly one, warm enough to sit happily with brass and timber, deep enough to settle down against a strong paint colour. It suits a desk position for a handset or a router feed, or a bedside where a phone lives. Keep it to dry rooms indoors, away from splashes and weather.

The plate is moulded in polycarbonate, a tough plastic that carries its colour through the body rather than wearing it on the surface, so a knock to an edge will not flash white at you. Wipe it with a barely damp cloth and dry it off afterwards; leave the kitchen sprays and solvent cleaners well alone, since they can dull the sheen. It carries a ten year warranty. If you are taking a colour through a room, matching the telephone point to the other plates on that wall is what stops it catching the eye, and it is worth deciding the shade before the decorating rather than after.

What size is the front plate?

It is the standard single plate size, 88mm square, with a 35mm back box depth behind it.

Can I use this for broadband?

It is made for telephone and data circuits, so it will serve a phone line or a router feed. It is not a mains power point.

Why is it called screwless?

The visible front plate clips onto a separate inner frame, so the finished face has no screw heads showing across it.

Is the purple finish painted on?

No. The polycarbonate is coloured through the moulding, so scuffs and edge knocks do not reveal a pale layer underneath.

Will it cope with a bathroom or an outhouse?

No. With an IP20 rating it is intended for dry indoor rooms only, so keep it away from splash zones and unheated outbuildings.

How should I clean it?

A soft cloth, barely damp, then dry it straight away. Avoid abrasive creams, bleach and anything solvent based.