Our red telephone boxes fascinate tourists. Walk down Whitehall and you're 99.9% sure to see happy visitors posing for the camera inside one (or several). The famous K2 designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott — who was also responsible for Waterloo Bridge, Battersea Power Station and Bankside Power Station-cum-Tate Modern — is a design classic, the original and finest example of which is preserved inside the entrance to the Royal Academy.
But for Londoners, telephone boxes are equally notable for their ever changing calling card displays, frequent random vandalism and high street decline. When British Telecom came about, modern designs signalled a slide into fairly rubbish phone boxes and booths with none of the smartness or grandeur of the Ks 1-8. They still all make for a great photograph, however and our streetscapes would be poorer without them. And what would you do without them when you lose your mobile and wallet in the pub and need to reverse the charges to your Mum*?
Many thanks to our Flickrpool photographers for sharing their images in the Londonist Flickrpool: MHPhotos, L'habitant, psyxjaw, NikosLiapis, Michael Goldrei, markdbaynham once and twice, roll the dice, peterphotographic, P1ay, Groover and mrdamcgowan.
There are tons of photos on phone boxes in there - go on, have a look.
*Mothers Day this Sunday, don't forget!