The red phone box and red mail box, along with the (now sidelined) red London double decker bus are symbols of Britain recognised throughout the world. Even if you have never visited the UK, these iconic items will be familiar from films and television programmes.
The original 1920s phone box weighed three quarters of a ton and was made of cast iron, but a British entrepreneur has re-thought the concept for the 21st century. The Phoney Box Company has thought "outside the box" and re-invented the iconic phone box.
The Red Phone Box
In these days of mobile phones, i-phones, Blackberries and other forms of electronic communication, phone boxes are a bit of an anachronism. The modern, stainless steel and glass version are fairly soulless, condemned to "fall back position" status, now that more or less everyone carries their own phone around with them in their briefcase, handbag or coat pocket.
Yet for over a century the bright red K6 phone box, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was an essential component of any British townscape. Even today, these cheerful micro-environments are to be found in Bermuda,Gibraltar and Malta, as well as the 2000 still retained in the UK (protected by "listed building" status), their bright colour broadcasting their presence. They are a reminder of another era, as well as being a timeless design classic.
The Red Phone Box: Sir Giles Gilbert Scott
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was responsible for the design of the red phone box, came from a family of architects. His grandfather, George Gilbert Scott was a Victorian architect whose main design interests tended towards churches, cathedrals and workhouses, although he was also responsible for the design of the Albert Memorial, commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of Prince Albert.
The talents of Giles Gilbert Scott were recognised early. In 1902, a competition to "Design a Cathedral for the Twentieth Century" was announced and Scott began to work on a design in his spare time. His design for Liverpool Cathedral(pictured below) was selected as one of five projects to go on to the second round of the competition. In 1903, at the age of twenty one,Scott was declared the winner, and went on to oversee the construction of Liverpool Cathedral. His success in the competition was even more surprising as his only previous design project had been for a small pipe rack.
In 1924, Scott entered another competition (for the design of a telephone box to be distributed and installed nationwide) and won again. This classic design will forever be associated with Sir Giles Gilbert Scott – there is even a red telephone box installed as a memorial in the precinct of Liverpool Cathedral, where he is buried.
The Phoney Box and Dragons' Den
Not surprisingly, the phone box format (if not the actual phone box) is much in demand as an item of interior design, a marketing tool or just a quirky talking point. The original K6 design is made of cast iron and weighs about three quarters of a ton. However, it is possible to buy replica phone boxes these days in lightweight kit form.
These are produced by a number of companies. One of the better known manufacturers is The Phoney Box Company, based in Wrexham, north Wales. Andrew Peters, the company's owner and the driving force behind its success appeared on the BBC Dragons' Den programme in early 2007. The programme famously showed all the Dragons squeezing themselves into a "Phoney Box", but despite this television first, they declined to invest in the company.
Undeterred, however, the company continues to go from strength to strength, manufacturing Phoney Boxes (and latterly, Phoney Letter Boxes) for both private and business customers, proving that the Dragons don't always get it right!
The Red Phone Box: A Design Classic
The red phone box may have been sidelined as an essential part of modern British street furniture, but it is such a familiar sight, so instantly identifiable and so well loved world wide that its iconic status as a design classic seems assured in perpetuity.
