Box on telegraph poles in garden - what is it?

[Daffodil1210]

Am in the early stages of looking at buying a particular house. When Google Street Viewing it I've noticed this at the bottom of the garden (see photo). I'm assuming its electricity related but not sure exactly what it is. Can anyone tell me?

Thanks in advance!

Could it be telephone lines.

It a small 11kV transformer. Presumably this is a house in arse end of nowhere an isolated rural location, and that's a small transformer stepping 11kV from the national grid down to 240v for houses (and possibly 440V for milking parlours). In urban areas these are much bigger and housed in mysterious brick-built sheds, and if you're a large company, particularly one that does manufacturing, you have one in the basement or the edge of your premises (a university campus might have three or four). But in rural areas they've got to go somewhere, and up a pole is a pretty good place.

What's your concern?

D'yiu know I've often wondered what those are spy stations so thank you for that info bolygraph

Sorry bolograph

Thank you! The house is in a large village (albeit on the edge). Just wondered what it was more than anything before we go and see the house next week

one at the end of my garden, with an overhead cable (like wot we have outside cities) going across the garden.

it's great, you get a small payment and a free spot of tree surgery every 2-3 years to ensure the cable is kept clear.

no tinfoil hat required.

The legal term for getting payments for a pylon or similar on your land is I believe Wayleave but the payments don't always transfer to new owners - sometime they do.

I believe that the wayleave payment can be transferred to a new owner and that there is a helpline number to contact (but no idea what it is - sorry!)

as the relatively new owner, the payment does transfer; we had a visit from the proverbial little man from the company concerned. (No, not a scam!) I'll see if I can find the letter that followed. This company take a cut of course.

don't get too excited - it's about £50 a year.

found the letter. The company is called Barlow and Sons, who seem to have spotted a market opportunity. No recommendation or otherwise.

you can write to the electricity distributor. Their name and number will be shown on your electricity bill. It need not be the same as the supplier who sends the bill. No need to pay an agent.

At the bottom of the bill it will say something like
Electricity
Distributor:
Southern Electric Power Distribution, Off Bourne
Valley Road, Branksome, Poole, Dorset, BH12
1YT. Call 0800 048 3516

Or look at the map

Having worked in the Electricity industry, I know that their files of wayleaves going back a hundred years are all in a terrible mess, and nobody wants the job of trying and failing to sort them out, so if you write with your name and address they might be quite pleased to get accurate information.

Thanks all! Will definitely keep this in mind if we are successful in buying said house (fingers crossed!)

interesting as always, PJ.

I am not paying the agent directly, obviously it will come out of the bill. Another letter today with more food for thought but that's as far as I'm going on here.

not surprised to hear that no-one knows where anything is, we've already had evidence of that!