Telephone Box Graveyard
Where Phone boxes go to die?
The red telephone box is an icon of 20th century British design. Once commonplace on every street corner and village green, the telephone box is now a rare sight.In 2002 there were 92000 BT payphones across the Uk. Today thanks to mobile phones and 3G/4G connectivity, just 9400 red traditional boxes remain.
Designed by Sir Giles Gibert Scott, the original prototype is still under the left arch at the entrance to the Royal academy.The first telephone kiosks appeared inside shops and hotels in the early 1900s. Since that date there have been a host of variants of design including the original K2 model which stood at 9ft 4in and measured 3ft 6 across.
However all is not lost as the various redesigned variants are highly sought after by collectors.There’s a cemetry like no other just outside London.Dubbed the largest know ‘Telephone Box Graveyard’ you’ll find around 70 Kiosks currently laid to rest. Many of these long lost icons are being brought back to life by craftsmen at Unicorn Restorations. Once cleaned and restored these can cost anywhere between £2000 and £10000 each.
Tags: Design Icon, Gilbert Scott, Michael Clement Photography, photo story, photography, Red telephone box, Restoration, Unicorn restorations