BT British red phone box celebrates 80th birthday

BT’s classic red K6 telephone box has celebrated its 80th birthday, with images of the telephone box projected onto the company’s central London buildings to mark the occasion.

BT will also sell a limited number of refurbished traditional phone boxes. A small number of kiosks are being painted in a Union Jack design instead of the standard bright red.

Also known as the ‘Jubilee Kiosk’, the box was designed by English architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880–1960) and was first introduced in 1936 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The kiosk became the first standard phone box across the UK.

“The red telephone box and in particular the classic K6 is an important part of the UK’s history and regularly tops the polls as a design and cultural icon,” said David Hay, head of BT Heritage.

“They’re recognised by people around the world. The K6 is held in great esteem and is an ambassador for the UK around the globe — many are now found in countries as diverse as the US, Cuba, Brazil, Switzerland, Hungary and Germany.”

Out of a total number of 46,000 working public payphone kiosks on the streets of the UK, around 8000 are traditional red phone boxes. The architectural significance of the traditional phone box has seen 2400 kiosks designated as grade II listed buildings.

Since 2008, BT has been encouraging communities to buy their local phone box if it is not being used for calls. The ‘Adopt a Kiosk’ scheme charges just £1 for a box with the phone itself removed. This has enabled towns and villages across the land to preserve their own part of Britain’s heritage.

More than 3500 kiosks have now been adopted and transformed into a variety of new uses.

Many decommissioned phone boxes have been fitted with life-saving defibrillation machines, while others have been turned into art galleries, mini libraries, exhibitions and information centres. One village turned theirs into a one-night-only pub, when their local closed down.

“The success of the Adopt a Kiosk scheme has shown the huge amount of affection communities throughout the UK have for red phone boxes, particularly the K6,” said Neil Scoresby, head of payphones for BT.

“Owning your own phone box has been a huge hit and we think the Union Jack design will prove to be really popular.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Zoltangabor