Very old buildings simply had a standard door bell in each unit and a series of buttons in the foyer. A separate run of wires was daisy-chained through every unit, each having a button in parallel connected to it. When your visitor rang your doorbell, you would hold down the button for several seconds, triggering an electric strike in the main door. The disadvantage of this system is no communication with the visitor prior to letting them in the building. Some people wanting to get in would ring a random doorbell in the hope that the occupants would release the door.

Our system might as well be like that, as it's very difficult to hear what is said. We do have the advantage of being right by the main door though. So we can open our own door and have a look to see who is there.

Thanks Tim, my eyesight isn't as good as it could be. 

Without my glasses I'm as blind as a bat.!! 

 Not a problem ! My eyesight isn't what it once was either !

My old elementary school which i still live down the street from used the usual mechanical bells outside except for one area which had a horn speaker but it still made a buzz at the same time as the bells. The indoor speakers were the usual grey square metal ones and there was a wall phone in each classroom.

One time during a summer thunderstorm a lightning struck the school and fried the bells and the alarm system too. All the bells, speakers and alarm were ringing 6 hours straight. They had to come and shut the power off to the school to stop it and make repairs.

The lightning also blasted all the roofed balls off the roof. I remember finding a black sooty deflated basket ball on the ground when i went to check it out.

We have an expression over here that sums this up nicely:

OH CRAP.!!

We have an expression over here that sums this up nicely:

OH CRAP.!!

Or, as you'll often hear us say when something has gone horribly wrong for the umpteenth time that day, Oh Crap Yet Again, usually abbreviated to 'OCYA'