Red phone boxes have become a British cultural icon over the years, with the famous BT boxes gracing postcards, British memorabilia and more over the years. They’re the subject of tourists from everywhere’s photos – particularly in London, and we get it. They look pretty cool.
They hold secrets of lost conversations from over the years, and they’re a visual reminder of a now old-fashioned form of communication. It’s only recent history that has seen the demise of the payphone, and while it’s true that we haven’t needed to use one in a good fifteen or twenty years – we’re not quite ready to let them go. And it turns out we’re not the only ones.
Converting a disused phone box into something a little more special, the community in Weeton, North Yorkshire have completely transformed their local BT phone box into an incredible mini library – where locals can visit and pick a new book to read, as well as donate books for others to try, too.
A little slice of literary paradise, the phone box is packed full of books spanning different genres, and reads ‘always open’ on the front – meaning you can pick up a new read whenever you fancy it.
Sure, the chances of stumbling upon yet another Dan Brown novel are pretty high, however, the community has done a fantastic job of keeping the phone box well maintained, with visitors popping over from far and wide to not only check it out, but take part and donate books, too.
It’s not just Weeton that has adopted the wholesome idea, either, with a number of villages not only across Yorkshire – but across the country – taking inspiration from the original phone box library (which was actually in Marton Cum Grafton in North Yorkshire) and starting their own.
Towns and villages have come up with incredibly inventive ways of using theirs, including a mini art gallery in Scarborough, a defibrillator in Starbotton, and even mini-bars.
Other Yorkshire phone box libraries:
- Bulmer Phone Box Library, Main Street, Bulmer (North Yorkshire)
- St Hilda’s Road Phone Box Library, Harrogate (North Yorkshire)
- Marton Cum Grafton Tiny Library, Grafton Lane (North Yorkshire)
- Linton Phone Box Library, Main Street, Wetherby (North Yorkshire)
- East Keswick Phone Box Library, Leeds (West Yorkshire)
- Barmby Moor Phone Box Library, A1079 Road (East Yorkshire)
- Letwell Phone Box Library, Letwell (South Yorkshire)
[Featured image: Unsplash]
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