By Elliott West
Introduction
Wherever you go on London Underground, there are numerous examples of its 160-year-old history. They blend into a modern and fast-paced London where the customers spend only a few minutes at each station. If these stations could speak, they would give you a wealth of information about the past and provide a fascinating insight into how London has changed over the years. However, the underground spills miles out of London and the further you travel, the more you feel that you are walking into a time capsule. Flower beds deck the platforms and waiting rooms are a familiar sight.
One little gem that you may or may not have seen on a few platforms is a brightly coloured phone box that looks not dissimilar from the Dr Who Tardis phone box. These contain unique telephones. Not for general public use, they are used to contact any number that is used on the internal auto phone system. Once the only means of communication and providing real-time information to its passengers before a radio system was installed. Yet this system only allowed you to transmit in your location. A dated radio network that was eventually overhauled with a Connect radio system that allows staff to radio or phone other users.
The Box of Delights
Originally designed as a public telephone box, the K8 telephone box was originally red with an illuminated telephone sign. It was supposed to be seen as modern and minimalistic and these boxes were first owned by the Post Office and then by British Telecom after privatisation in 1984. Between 1968 and 1983, 11,000 K8s were installed around the UK. They were replaced by the modern KX100 but eventually become nearly obsolete due to mobile phones becoming the norm. The boxes on London Underground went into their ownership and were painted in different colours to show that they were owned by British Telecom. Only a small number of these phone boxes now exist with 11 in Hull, 25 more across the country and 4 on London Underground platforms.
These boxes are situated on London Underground at High Street Kensington, Chalfont & Latimer, Chorley Wood and Northwick Park stations. The boxes are gems from the 1960s and the last example of a classic telephone box design. They stand out and enrich our heritage. A box that has now been deemed to have a Grade II-listed status, a status awarded by Historic England.
