UK's red telephone boxes get a new lease on life at 100
January 3, 2024
When people think Britain, they may think red buses, the Beatles or Buckingham Palace, while others may plump for fish 'n' chips, the pub or a stiff upper lip.
Arguably the most iconic image, though, is the traditional red telephone box, which has managed to live on despite its rare usage in modern Britain.
Indeed, the numbers of phone booths across the UK has reduced fivefold in recent years, according to British Telecom (BT), with just 3,000 traditional red kiosks remaining.
On life support
Under existential threat — originally due to cellphones, and even more so since smartphones began to dominate our lives — in 2008 BT introduced its "Adopt a Kiosk" program, with more than 7,200 phone boxes taken on by communities across the UK for just £1 ($1.26, €1.17) each.
"The kiosks can be adopted by community or parish councils and registered charities," according to the BT website. As the classic kiosk marks its 100th anniversary, a new push is being made in Scotland.
"With the vast majority of people now using mobile phones, and significant improvements to mobile coverage across the UK, we've continued to see a big drop in the number of calls made from payphones," said Michael Smy, heading the project at BT.
"With the iconic red kiosk about to turn 100," he added, "it's a great opportunity to remind communities that would still like to retain their local kiosk to take it on for just £1. We've already seen some great kiosk conversions across the UK that have become valuable community assets."
Those "conversions" have seen the famous red boxes transformed into a range of useful and cultural spaces, from defibrillator units and libraries, to mini art galleries and local museums.
BT will continue to provide electricity, at no cost, to power the light for adopted phone boxes.
History of the red phone box
The name Sir Giles Gilbert Scott may not be familiar to many, but 2024 marks 100 years since his design was chosen to be the first red telephone box in Britain. Red was chosen because it made them easy to spot.
They have since become a cultural icon, with the phone box perhaps Scott's most memorable, lasting achievement — which is saying something for an architect whose works include the Cambridge University Library, Battersea Power Station and Liverpool Cathedral.
Scott's design was the second version after dissatisfaction with the original model meant an alternative was sought, finally hitting the streets in 1926. Ten years later, Scott refined his design to mark King George V's Silver Jubilee.The red phone boxes' iconic status was enhanced in postwar Britain, reaching living rooms across the world via movies, music videos and cult television series, such as in "The Ladykillers" from 1955.
The number of phone boxes across the UK peaked in the 1990s at around 100,000.
However, despite their landmark status, there has been a significant decline in the usage of payphones across Britain, with 98% of the adult population now in possession of a cellphone.
While there was a time when people used to queue to use the phone, some boxes still draw a crowd.
For example, one particular telephone box near the exit of Westminster Tube station attracts masses of tourists. Due to its proximity to Big Ben, it's possible to get the London landmark and the red phone box in one picture.
One TikTok user claimed to have waited 45 minutes in line for a chance to take a photo with it, leading a Londoner to comment: "The world's gone mad."
The red booths may no longer be needed to make phone calls, but as they are turned into a tiny homes for defibrillators, libraries or social media users, there is life in the old dog yet.
Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier