UK: Iconic Red Phone Booths

When was the last time you used a public pay phone? 

Can't remember? 

I can't remember either. 

So what is happening to the iconic red phone booths in the UK?

A little background on them....

The red telephone box was initially designed by Giles Gilbert Scott after winning a design competition in 1924. It was officially called the K2.

The colour red was chosen to make them easy to spot. 

Originally they were owned by the Post Office, which is owned by the British government. After 1926 the iconic boxes were also emblazoned with a prominent crown on the top to represent the British government. 

At one point the booths also sold stamps for the Post Office. But they found with the damp weather the stamps were damaged, and, dispensing them in the phone booth made too much noise for people making phone calls. 

There have been 6 series of the boxes with different sizes, weights, window configurations, ventilation, etc.

At its height there were about 70,000 public call boxes in the UK. Today about 10,000 of them remain. 

They are Grade II listed by Historic England.

So what has happened to the old boxes? I set myself on a quest to find them. And it was very hard.

A neighborhood library on a country lane.

A defibrillator.

A multipurpose one - cash and telephone. Note how the doors have been modified.

It looks like graffiti artists found this one before I did. 

And then I found this one. TBH, I much prefer the iconic red booths.

For a look at a post I did on phone booths back in 2015 and more photos, check out this page: 

https://canadian-in-uk.blogspot.com/2015/05/re-purposing-iconic-red-telephone-booths.html