K2 and K6 red telephone boxes

click photo to enlarge
One of the poor decisions of the 1980s was that made by the newly privatised BT (British Telecom) to introduce a new design of telephone box (sometimes called a kiosk). The original designs were so well-liked by British people, and had become one of the symbols of the UK to non-natives, that any new design was bound to provoke a negative reaction. And so it proved. The sleek KX100 design, though it was undoubtedly cheaper to make, maintain and clean, was much reviled and vandalised. Such is the consequence of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

We didn't know it in the 1980s, but the life of the telephone box was limited; the rise of the mobile phone has by now made them all but redundant. However, such is the affection that they engender, that many councils bought redundant boxes for a nominal fee, retained them in their original locations, and turned them to new uses such as information points and free "swap libraries". British Telecom kept some in strategic locations as phone boxes for heritage reasons. The other day we came upon a few in Smithfield Market in London.

The pair in the photograph above are two of the most common designs. On the left is a K2. There were 1,700 examples made of which just over 200 are still in place. This was the first type to be painted red. It was designed for the General Post Office (GPO) by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1924. The first examples were installed in 1926 and in 1935 it was phased out to be replaced by the K6, which is the model on the right. This was also the work of Scott. He designed it in 1935, the first example was introduced in 1936, and production finally ended in 1968. A grand total of 60,000 were manufactured of which 10,700 remain. It wasn't the novelty of finding some telephone boxes with phones still in them that prompted my photograph so much as the strident colours in the background of the "GPO red" paintwork. For more information about Britain's telephone boxes this site is a great resource.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo Title: K2 and K6 Telephone Boxes, Smithfield Market, London
Camera: Olympus E-M10
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 16mm (32mm - 35mm equiv.) crop
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec
ISO:1600
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

1941 Austin K2 YMCA Tea Van

click photo to enlarge
What, you might ask, is a 1941 Austin K2 YMCA Tea van doing in the grounds of Croome Court, a mid-eighteenth century Palladian mansion? The fact is, what looks out of place is actually perfectly located because during WW2 this building and its extensive grounds were an adjunct of the nearby airbase called RAF Defford.

The airmen and civilian staff who received refreshments from such vehicles were involved with the Wellingon bombers of No. 23 Operational Training Unit. Members of the Radar Research Flying Unit worked here and had notable success in the development of airborne interception systems for night fighters. Air-to-surface-vessel radar that was a significant factor in the successful targeting of U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic was also worked on at the site. The National Trust, who now look after Croome Court have developed the house's RAF connection in its presentation of the site to visitors. My shot was taken from beneath a large, military canvas awning over a metal frame where picnic tables had been set out!

During the war the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI), a government organisation, provided most of the clubs, bars, shops, cafes, restaurants and other social facilities for the armed forces. However, these were supplemented by a number of civilian bodies such as the Women's Institute, the Salvation Army, the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS), the YMCA and local church groups. This vehicle has been painted as it would have been when in the service of the YMCA. Interestingly, this particular example was found in the Netherlands where it appears to have been left at the end of the war. It was bought and brought to Croome for restoration and eventual display, though it does more than just sit there and look interesting. The interior has been fitted out with a tea urn and electricity so that refreshments can still be served from its hatch, though this time to visitors to the house.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo 1
Camera: Nikon D5300
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 56mm (84mm - 27mm equiv.)
F No: f5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec
ISO:100
Exposure Compensation: -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On