The Half-Eaten Phone Box Of Croydon

By Will Noble Last edited 50 months ago

Will Noble The Half-Eaten Phone Box Of Croydon

A sculpture of a phone box in Croydon with bites taken out of it — Tasty.

We're used to seeing vandalised phone boxes, but not like this.

Along the pedestrianised North End shopping street in Croydon, just outside Ann Summers, you'll come across a curious sight — a red telephone that appears to have have two huge bites taken out of it.

The playful sculpture is, fittingly, called Bitten Phone Box — and it's the work of Whatshisname aka Wimbledon-based artists Sebastian Burdon. It was created as part of Croydon's Rise Festival 2018, and although you could read it as a commentary on the demise of the traditional phone call, the artist says the main reason he made Bitten Phone Box was "to make people happy". It certainly makes us smile.

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How about the new bitten phone box? I submitted it to @sculptureinthecity so hopefully you will see it in the streets of central London in 2020. Fingers crossed 🤞Alternatively, it would stand outside an art gallery... but which one?? #london #streetart #publicart #publicartfund #k6phonebox #popart #contemporaryart #curator #artgallery #gallery #modernart #londondesignweek #londondesignfair

A post shared by Whatshisname (@himwhatshisname) on Sep 25, 2019 at 6:56am PDT

Recently, Whatshisname submitted designs for a sequel to Bitten Phone Box to Sculpture in the City — perhaps we'll get a second bite of these wonderful sculptures, come summer 2020.

This stretch of Croydon is quite the place for quirky landmarks. Less than five minutes walk away, you'll find London's dullest plaque, which commemorates the widening of Croydon High Street by 21 feet.