I love an unusual auction lot, and how much more unusual can you get than an historic listed “K6″ red phone box?
Wedged down a town centre street in Ashford this spesh piece of history is also known as a “Jubilee” kiosk, and commemorates the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George V.
It’s got a guide price of £5k, but you need to be warned – it is a heritage site, so while you own the kiosk and can resell at any point, you cannot remove them or alter the exterior. In fact, the kiosk is registered as a Listed Building at Historic England (see www.historicengland.org.uk)
At 8’3” high and 3ft square these telephone boxes were originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, Battersea Power Station and Bankside Power Station (now Tate Modern).
Nowadays, with mobile phones the phone box isn’t really something we need to make phone calls from any more – but the possibilities of a phone box are endless, which is why Historic England have listed to preserve these iconic red kiosks.
And I know it’s a tiny space and you would wonder what you can do with such limited room, but many have been transformed to coffee shops, libraries, museums, bakeries, and defibrillators. In Cheltenham, 10 red phone boxes have been transformed into miniature art galleries, showcasing the work of local artists.
So, if you fancy owning an iconic piece of British heritage or want to run your own business or can see advertising potential – or maybe a myriad of other uses for this phone box, get yourself a bidding as it’s up for auction soon.