Telephone Boxes (or Booths, as I call them).
I am a lover of things reminiscent of the past. Especially when it comes to telephones. When I was young, I dreamed of owning a Victorian style phone. Later in life, I perused thrift stores because I want to find an old rotary dial phone for Miss Sunshine’s playtime. I was never that lucky, but I did find push button corded ones.
I’m old enough to remember phone boxes (booths)… and old enough to have kept a stash of quarters in my car in case I needed to use the payphone. I rarely see a phone booth around anymore. Sure, there’s the one over by Target…with no phone book. I’m not even sure it has a phone. I just know that it’s surrounded in yellow caution tape with a sign saying that bees live there.
However, the phone booths around the United States that I’ve traveled about, are nothing like the spectacular beauties found in the United Kingdom.
History.
The red telephone box was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, following a competition in 1924.
From 1926 and onward, the exterior of the telephone boxes had a crown, representing the British government.
Repurposing.
Of course with the advent of further technologies (aka…cell phones), the telephone boxes became less necessary.
Due to their popularity, some of these telephone boxes are being given a new life by entrepreneurs and communities. You can see that evidence in the background of the photo above (taken on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh) where the telephone box says “Cash”.
Glasgow.
You can imagine my excitement when my mother and I stumbled upon the telephone boxes actually housing telephones. I don’t have the location of this phone booth since the photo was taken by my mother. I suspect that it is in Glasgow as my aunt wasn’t out with us on this walk and my mother and I did some touring around Glasgow on our own.
If you’ve missed that walk around Glasgow, we walked to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and then made our way up to the University of Glasgow and into The Cloisters, which are located there.
Edinburgh.
There is an iconic sense to this telephone box. It is set amongst the crowds that walked along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
Its red color standing prominently in the sea of stone buildings.
According to this BBC article, there are 8,000 traditional red kiosks.
Preservation.
While I fell in love with the phone boxes from an aesthetic standpoint, I am also happy that I have witnessed a piece of history.
A history that is being steadily preserved.
Let your light shine!
Amy
