Gerry Wells
British radio enthusiast
About Gerry Wells
Lived 1929 – 2014 (aged 85).
Gerald 'Gerry' Lloyd Wells (18 September 1929—22 December 2014) was a British radio enthusiast and collector. He turned his childhood home in West Dulwich, South London, into the British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum to host his collection of over 1,300 vintage radio and television sets. Wells' collection covers radios from 1890 onwards.
At school, Wells faced bullying and eventually became a truant, spending his time scavenging for electrical supplies and stealing radios. He was sent at 15 to an approved school in Lancashire; after he put his electrical skills to productive ends, he was judged to no longer likely to misbehave and was released. After World War II, he started a radio and television repair business and also designed and built a number of his own televisions. His business did not last and closed in 1974. Following this, he decided to turn his house into a museum, and set up a registered charity.
Wells has published an autobiography Obsession - A Life in Wireless and is the subject of a biographical DVD Valveman - The story of one man's lifetime of obsession.
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Important facts
People in Gerry Wells's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gerry Wells's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Gerry Wells?
British radio enthusiast
When was Gerry Wells born?
Gerry Wells was born on 18 September 1929.
When did Gerry Wells die?
Gerry Wells died on 22 December 2014.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gerry Wells. https://biography.guide/gerry-wells/
MLA: "Gerry Wells." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gerry-wells/.
Chicago: "Gerry Wells." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gerry-wells/.
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