A vintage red public telephone box from a garden in Staffordshire has dialled up auction success – and it’s not moving far!
The iconic cultural symbol of British life, which was nearly 80 years old and ripe for restoration, went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers with an estimate of £1,000-£1,500. But strong interest saw it engage with bidders to achieve £3,000 – much to the delight of its owner.
Barbara Cooper, 69, from Blythe Bridge, near Stoke, Staffs, said: “The result was pretty amazing. After a slow start it suddenly escalated and reached way above its estimate. It seemed to ricochet around the auction room. A new experience for me which I enjoyed!”
For more than 30 years the K6 kiosk brightened up Barbara’s driveway after being purchased by her late husband, Des. The good news is it will continue to brighten up a garden in Staffordshire garden, albeit in a different colour.
It has been purchased by John and Laura Walton as a house-warming gift for their daughter. Laura, who runs run Beamhurst Museum, a privately-owned museum near Uttoxeter with her husband, said: “Our daughter is moving into a cottage in Uttoxeter with her partner in the next few weeks. She is going to be using it as a log store and will be painting it pink. We use some of our telephone boxes at Beamhurst Museum to store logs so she’s following in her dad’s footsteps.”
Barbara, who used to run a double-glazing firm with husband, Des, is delighted the phone box will get a new lease of life. Des passed away at the age of 77 in 2020 but left behind many wonderful memories including the fun generated by the classic kiosk.
Barbara said: “Des bought it in the late 1980s. I’m not sure where he got it from. A friend who liked antique fairs called him as he’d came across two or three telephone boxes and wondered if he wanted one. Des said yes.
“It was all about the nostalgia for him. People can’t understand it today but phone kiosks like this used to be all we had. I remember someone racing to the nearest phone box to call for help when my mum went into labour.
“Des set up the box with a working phone and he used it if it rang when he was in the garden. We had phones everywhere in the house including the garage and conservatory. Des liked to be able to answer calls wherever he was.
“We sometimes saw people wander into the phone box thinking they could make a call. Later we changed it to receive calls only. Another villager asked Des if he could buy it once but Des said no. I had to sell because after nearly 40 years in my house I am moving.”
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “It’s wonderful to deliver a happy ending. I’m delighted the kiosk is staying in Staffordshire. These classic telephone boxes are part and parcel of British life, a much-loved design icon familiar to people all over the world.”
The K6 example, which went under the hammer, was introduced in 1936 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George V, hence it’s known as the ‘Jubilee Kiosk’. The design is the brainchild of British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960). He also masterminded K2, the kiosk which paved the way to the emergence of red telephone boxes all over the country.
The red telephone box was the result of a competition in 1924 to design a kiosk acceptable to the London Metropolitan Boroughs. They were reluctant to embrace the Post Office’s concrete K1 design, the first public telephone box launched in 1921. Sir Giles came to the rescue with a classical style topped with a dome.
From 1926 K2 kiosks popped up in and around London and the exterior bore a prominent crown. The K2 did not penetrate far outside London but the ‘Jubilee’ model, produced between 1936 and 1953, became the first genuinely standard kiosk. Under a ‘Jubilee Concession’, kiosks were to be provided in every town or village with a post office, regardless of cost. More than 8,000 kiosks were installed.
The kiosk sold on July 18 at Hansons Auctioneers. Free antiques and collectibles valuations are available every week at Hansons’ Staffordshire saleroom, Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge. To find out more, email Bishton Hall manager Mark Holder: [email protected].
