London’s iconic 1st red phone booth gets special recognition

LONDON:The first red phone booth installed in 1924 in Piccadilly that had become a prototype for thousands across London and elsewhere was on Friday listed as a “Grade II* structure”, which ensures special protection measures to retain its iconic status.

The world has moved on since the telephone booth was installed outside the Royal Academy. In the digital world, red phone booths are objects of curiosity for tourists, but are as much a British icon as the Queen, Big Ben and

William Shakespeare.

The first phone booth was built as part of a competition for the iconic design to replace a structure introduced in 1921 that was unpopular at that time. It was created with timber by architect Giles Gilbert Scott.

The latest listing is intended to better recognise the historical interest the booth generates. A small number of the first booth’s clones were placed outside London - just over 200 survive today.

Heritage minister Helen Whately said, “The red telephone box is an internationally famous British icon and I am delighted that we are able to protect the first of its kind. In an increasingly digital world, it is important to preserve structures that have played a part in our nation’s industrial story.”

Scott’s winning design was originally intended to be made of steel and painted silver with a blue-green interior, but the General Post Office chose to make it of cast-iron and painted red.