The British Red Telephone Box
If there is one thing that is absolutely iconic as a symbol of the streets of Britain it is the shiny red telephone box (known as a telephone kiosk.) They first started disappearing in 1985 when they were replaced with the new British Telecom kiosks with their stainless steel and tinted glass facades. Most of the Red British telephone boxes that are in the country were bought by restorers and collectors who purchased them when British Telecom auctioned them off to the general public. Many people were upset when these classic red phone boxes were removed from the streets of London as they seemed to add so much personality and character to the city. They were an image that was as classic and traditional as the sight of the Royal Guard sitting on a horse or standing at the gates of Buckingham palace.
In 1924 the British Post Office decided to standardize the look of the phone box and asked several leading architects to submit a design. Giles Gilbert Scott was the designer who created the first shiny red slatted kiosk made of cast iron and glass. Later they were made of reinforced concrete and painted red.
The British telephone box has a long rich history. They originally looked like small wooden huts that were made out of exotic timbers like Honduras mahogany and Indian Laurel. They were operated by the British Post Office. Each one contained the heraldic shield of British telephones – a picture of a scarlet enameled lion, shield, crown and unicorn motif.
You can buy these loving restored for your own home, restaurants or street from vendors like English Heritage Phone boxes or Red Phone Box. Restored versions do not tend to come with the signature glass windows that were on the originals. Some people are even remaking these phone booths into outdoor toilets, storage sheds and even aquariums. Without the glass, they make excellent arbors and mini green houses.
These novelty kiosks, which are only really about twenty years off the street, have become a popular part of U.K. office décor and in shopping malls, pubs, nightclubs and hotel video booths. There was a finite number of the genuine cast-iron or concrete models made so now some companies are even making lighter plastic or metal assemble-it-yourself models that can be ordered by mail. The red phone boxes are also available in novelty colors such as purple, yellow or pink.