I replaced all my sockets (& switches +++) with MK some years ago.
This is my last remaining left over from that and is clearly marked “Made in UK”
All I see these days is unmarked or Made in Malaysia and no question they are not up to the same quality. e.g. a new cloakroom light switch does not click at the same time when lights go on or off, it drives me nuts.
The pictures I posted above the top one is made in Malaysia and I have another identical made in the UK.
It’s Malaysia ones I’ve got just now.
Indeed, MK stopped making them in the UK years ago. When I rewired the house I used Crabtree switches and sockets which I much prefer.
Crabtree company structure blurb indicates the UK sockets are manufactured at Wigan.
“Wigan … location for wiring accessories (sockets and switches) and domestic circuit protection”.
That info might make them my preferred choice due to the decline with MK
HOLD THE PRESS ---- I’ve just see a news item that Electrium, a Siemens company (the people who mngtr Crabtree procducts in UK ) have announced their withdrawal from the wiring accessory market from the end of 2025.
This affects all wiring accessory products under the Crabtree, Volex, Appleby and Britmac brands.
The Crabtree sockets are included in the Capital, Platinum & Instinct ranges and are specifically listed in the company news letter as products being withdrawn.
Yes, Crabtree and Wilex no longer exist, although retailers will still have some stock left at the moment. I have a few spares left from when I rewired the house, although I’ve never needed them so far.
Look great James. Will comsider the unswitched socket as well as other offerings on here.
Would be galvanised conduit with bend parts to get around gas box. My electrician is tidy and we work together on projects. I don’t want black SWA cable going up beautiful pale grey rendered wall on front of house. Will do it right and discuss with him how he is going to do it.
My electrician is semi retired supposedly in his late 60s but he works every day! He is old school but really neat and good at his job and costs are very reasonable. We will come up with a plan and then I will order the unswitched socket, dismantle system and get him to install. The beauty is there is no cable run internally. It will come straight into the front wall and it is done. Quite happy to have surface mounted metal clad back box as it will be more solid than plastic, rather than cutting out wall. Noone will see it!
I think it will cost next to nothing to do the job as it’s straight run. No real internal work. Less than a bag of sand ! 
I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on the impact it has. One final question, do you have an earth rod in the garden or does your earth go back to the incoming supply/station?
Sounds like a good plan - keep it simple!
Earth is on incoming supply. There is no earth rod. Front drive is a mix of block paved area and tarmac area.
Property is link detached so getting earth rod is possible on front for block paving.
Okay, you’ll need to check with your sparks but I suspect you can’t do anything if it’s with the supply? If there’s a rod somewhere then there’s a couple of tricks you can do.
Please don’t be tempted to install an earth rod unless its done professionally, its not so simple and frankly is not really worth the trouble.
UK domestic power is configured in 1 of 3 ways
TN-C-S - The most common system for modern homes. The area distribution system has a combined neutral and earth and is split into separate neutral and earth at the property.
TN-S - Usually on older properties. The neutral and earth are kept as separate conductors from the substation to the home.
TT - No earth connection is provided, it requires a local earth rod buried in the ground.
You mentioned earlier that you had a Puritan mains block. You could add one of their Groundmaster thingies and connect it to an earth rod as a simpler alternative to installing a TT earth if you want to improve grounding for the HiFi.
I haven’t tried this myself, but I was considering it. Pretty cheap in the general scheme of things, and easy enough to install while you’re making holes in the wall for mains cables.
Take care with this (see my previous note)
Adding another earth to a TN-C-S supply, in the case of a local network fault, could make your earth rod the only earth for the entire neighbourhood.
The whole point of the Groundmaster (and I think one or two other commercially available products) is to allow an earth rod to ground the HiFi (in an otherwise TC-N-S arrangement) without compromising safety or breaching electrical regs.
I’m fully aware of the Groundmaster idea, not too sure about the value vs SQ gain. I might take it more seriously if and when they get a British Standards (BS) mark.
I suspect I’m wrong as neither of you mentioned it, but doesn’t having two earth sources result in a potential voltage difference between say the case of the HiFi gear, and the say radiators in the living room?
I would hope there is a massive voltage difference between my hifi gear and the radiators in my living room (or any other room for that matter) 
I would hope the hifi gear was at 230v and the radiators at 0v
You might have missed it, but I did say the case of the hifi gear which would typically be earthed
I did miss that lol 
Two earth sources in a typical house in the UK (Tn-c-s) is a disaster just waiting to happen………………….and it will happen at some point. As @Mike-B said, you then become the only nearest earth in the neighbourhood. I would not want to be in the house when that happens.
