The iconic red telephone box is a staple around London’s streets. Over the years their purpose has shifted away from actually being used to make phone calls, and instead are more often spotted behind a tourist as they pose for the perfect picture to show they’ve visited England.
As the phone box’s true purpose became obsolete thanks to the invention of the mobile phone, many of these boxes fell into disrepair. Thankfully one company has been working to ensure these recognizable objects synonymous with British history, are not left to rust in the landfill.
Unicorn Restorations has created the nation’s largest ‘telephone box graveyard’ in Merstham, Surrey, where they collect all the pre-loved boxes. The restoration company proudly restores these iconic boxes back to their former glory after a period of them rusting away.
According to Surrey Live, staff spend up to 30 hours stripping each old kiosk, repainting them in the identical shades of red once stipulated by the General Post Office and putting in new glass to complete the look. Once they’ve been fixed up, the boxes can sell for a variety of prices ranging from just under £4,000 to as much as £20,000.
Those on offer include the three classic models of red telephone kiosk: the K2, the K6 and the K8. The K6, which was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V’s coronation in 1935, is thought of as the most recognizable, standard model.
Around 60,000 boxes of the K6 design were installed across Britain, which is why the model has come to represent what many regard as the typical red phone box. The K2 is thought of as the original phone box as it was created in 1926, while the K8 was introduced in 1968.
