Britain’s red telephone boxes are one of the world’s most famous designs. For nearly a century they have been part of the UK’s urban fabric, but in the age of the mobile phone many have disappeared. With their use declining, enthusiasts are now turning to unusual uses for the cabins and restorers are giving them a new lease of life. N°33YB898N°33YK7WM
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00:00 For many visitors to London, it's the must-have photo.
00:05 There are often long lines of tourists at this red phone box in front of Big Ben, all
00:09 hoping to get an iconic shot.
00:12 But while this cabin isn't going anywhere, the number of phone boxes across the UK has
00:16 dropped sharply since the advent of mobile phones.
00:19 There are now five times fewer working cabins than in 1990, and of the remaining 20,000,
00:25 just 3,000 are the traditional red models.
00:29 Carl Burge is working to restore these cast iron landmarks.
00:33 He receives phone boxes from across the country, like this model, which is being prepared for
00:37 display in the former home of the phone box's creator, the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
00:43 This particular telephone box is called a K2, which means kiosk number two, so it was
00:46 the predecessor of all the red telephone boxes we see up and down the country now.
00:51 Very, very rare, very, very hard to get hold of, very, very heavy, very, very large, so
00:55 it's a bit of a pleasure to work on this one.
00:59 It takes about six weeks to restore each phone box.
01:02 Much of the demand comes from local communities who've chosen to repurpose the cabins for
01:06 new uses, such as housing a defibrillator or a tiny book swap library.
01:11 British Telecom, which operates the payphone system, sells rarely used phone boxes to local
01:16 groups for just one pound, under its 'adopt a kiosk' scheme.
01:21 The days of working telephones in telephone boxes is sadly gone because mobile phones,
01:26 cell phones are the way forward, unfortunately.
01:29 But if they can be repurposed and kept to their original design, with their original
01:33 colours and equipment in there to save lives, if we could turn them into libraries, you
01:39 know, happy days.
01:40 They'll be around for a long time.
01:44 Another use is for tiny shops.
01:46 Daniel Benedettini has turned these two kiosks into a miniature cafe, selling tiramisu on
01:52 London's Russell Square.
01:54 While the lack of space can be a challenge, the unusual setting is a draw for customers.
01:59 People stop all the time, they take pictures, you have influencers coming without, ask them,
02:04 just come and make content.
02:07 In terms of business, he's really good on that, on exposure for the brand.
02:13 But I have to stand outside all day.
02:17 There are currently around 1,000 red phone boxes available for adoption across the UK,
02:22 but the oldest cabin still housing a working telephone is a K1 model on the Isle of Wight,
02:27 dating to the 1920s.
02:29 A unique call to our mobile age from a more stationary time.
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