The Metropolitan Antique Police Whistle

Here we have a lovely collectible Antique Victorian Tube Whistle created for the London Metropolitan Police in the late 1800s.

It produces a very good whistle sound and could be used as a dog whistle (ours immediately came to me when I was testing it!) or as a great collector’s item. It comes in a gift bag.

It was made by J Hudson and Co when they were based at 131 Barr St, Birmingham and it dates from 1886 - 1887. It has the Hudson name and address stamped on it, along with The Metropolitan and Patent. It also has the Hudson name and patent on the diaphragm.

Prior to the whistle being created the police relied on heavy rattles to communicate with each other over long distances. They didn’t work very well so Joseph Hudson developed the whistle after hearing a violin accidentally dropped which created an ear splitting sound.

It’s made of nickel and has a bit of patina and some scratches to it which adds to the antique look.

It measures 8.1cm on length (3 1/8 inches).