The Story of the Red Telephone Box Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That's English!, the Spanish Ministry of Education's official distance learning English course. To find out more about That's English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages. It is now very common for tourists visiting London to send to their friends and family a 'selfie' inside or next to a red telephone box. Indeed, along with the red double-decker buses, souvenir shops offer all sorts of merchandising, from fridge magnets to T-shirts, with this icon of London's cityscape. However, it is precisely the mobile phone that has condemned the telephone box practically to extinction. According to the telecommunications multinational BT, whose forerunner was the General Post Office, the public corporation responsible for the public telephone service, in 2002 there were 92,000 public phone boxes across the country, whereas now there are only 46,000, of which approximately 10,000 are the traditional red phone boxes. In an attempt to prevent the complete disappearance of this very British symbol, in 2008 BT introduced a scheme called "Adopt a Kiosk", whereby local communities could acquire the telephone boxes that were no longer in use. As a result, many telephone boxes have received a new lease of life. They have been turned into mini libraries or book exchanges, miniature art galleries, souvenir shops, tiny coffee shops and even "office pods" with computer and internet connections. So what is the history of the classic red telephone box? Public telephone boxes were first introduced in Britain in the 1880s although, at the beginning, there was no standard design. They were made of concrete and painted in different colours, depending on the surrounding area. But in 1924, the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was invited, along with two other architects, to take part in a competition organised by the Royal Fine Arts Commission, on behalf of the General Post Office, to design a national kiosk, which was to be made out of cast-iron. Scott's design, which was originally presented with a silver outside, was selected. In 1926, some 1,700 K2 telephone boxes, as they were called, were installed in London and other large towns. The K2 was a rectangular box, 9-foot high and 3-foot 4 inches wide, that is just over 2.7 metres high and 1 metre wide, with a domed roof. At the top of each of its four sides, on the pediments, the royal crown was pierced into the iron to provide ventilation, under which there were illuminated signs with the word TELEPHONE. Three of the four sides had eighteen rectangular panes of glass. And, most importantly, it was red. This colour was chosen to ensure that the telephone box could be easily seen. However, the design had a problem - it was too expensive. Other designs were to follow. In 1927, the K4, which was based on the design of the K2, was actually a mini post office. As well as making phone calls, users could also buy postage stamps and post their letters. Unfortunately, the K4 was too big - its nickname was 'The Vermillion Giant' - and far too expensive. In 1934, another design called the K5, which could be taken to pieces and put back together again, was designed for fairs and exhibitions but was also short-lived. It was in 1935, and to celebrate George V's silver jubilee, that the classic red telephone box saw the light. The K6, once again designed by Sir Giles, was very similar to the K2. An important difference was its reduced size - now it was 8-foot high and 3-foot wide, that is 2.4 metres high and 91 cm wide. The royal crown was moulded, not pierced, and even though the eighteen panes of glass remained on three sides, the central pane was much wider to improve visibility from the inside. Most importantly, the K6 was much more cost-effective. According to the-telephone-box.co.uk, the K6 was produced from 1936 until 1968. 60,000 were installed, of which approximately 10,000 remain. In 2016, the K6 celebrated its 80th birthday. Although the General Post Office commissioned a new design in 1962, the K7, the aluminium and glass design could not stand up to the rigours of the British climate. Later came the K8, which was based on the K6, but had large glass windows to replace the paned glass panels, which proved to be too vulnerable to acts of vandalism. Only 11,000 were installed. So our traditional K6 red telephone box has not only outlived rival designs but it is now lending itself to reinvention to move along with the times. So now you know that the next time you take a 'selfie' next to a red telephone box, you are with a true survivor! We hope you have enjoyed this podcast, brought to you by That's English! Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now!