Sunday, March 01, 2009

MARCH THEME DAY GLASS - BRITISH RED TELEPHONE BOX

A different glass

British Red Telephone Box


Theme today is glass. Glass building are relatively few in a Ramsey and I have featured the ones I could have used already, so I went for a very British Institution a Red Telephone Box. To highlight the box I just desaturated the background. A departure for me. With the advent of mobile phones phone boxes and the more modern open kiosks are dwindling in use. They are no longer replaced or new ones provided when the present ones need updating. The iconic red box stopped production many years ago, in fact there is more than one design called "K class" but you still find them in far flung places such as Gibraltar, Bermuda, obviously the UK and here. Anywhere that is part of the British Isles, UK, or British Islands. Many were sold off privately once they were de-commissioned and you will often come across one in the most unlikely country. You may have one in your area? Many also have been adapted for other uses across the world. British theme bars around the world always seem to have one too in one form or another. Click here to read more about the history from wiki.



This phone box is still in use and working. Situated outside Ramsey Football Club Ground. It still accepts coins not just phonecards or credit cards, still has a phone directory intact and as you can see is also non vandalized. Not one pane of glass smashed. It's not the only Red Telephone box in Ramsey, we have quite a few and all of them are still used. Just want to point that out. The tourist's love them. So that's my iconic glass image. Something a little different, iconic, historical, outmoded but strangely still in use here.


Have fun and do check out the many daily photos around the world and there unique images


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

63 comments:

Lisa Wilson said...

We have red phone booths just like this in Mt. Village, and since Mt. Village is a very young town, that means they are only about 11 years old. I never see anyone using them, though, but make for a great European decoration!

Ben Nakagawa said...

I love those iconic ones, very photogenic and detail is very interesting. We do not have any of these in Nelson (as far as I know of...).

JunieRose2005 said...

I love this!!!


Junie

Anonymous said...

The red phone boxes have so much more charm than the boring minimal functional looking ones in the states. I've always wanted to make a call from one of these!!!

Lowell said...

That's amazing that the box is still all together, including a directory. Nice job on the red...I'm going to have to try that technique sometime.

It's rare to find a working phone booth of any kind in Florida these days. But there is a red one in The Villages which I plan to post one of these days. I wonder if they got it from your area - looks very similar.

Unknown said...

They used to have them over here in Ireland, but were green in colour of course. Now they are all but gone and have been replaced by the new phone on a pole design. The old ones were better and make for good images as you have proved here.

Champ Townboy said...

Very cool. Had I been thinking I could have captured one of these myself and we could have been twins! LOL

Unknown said...

I like the shadow image projected from the window panes. It is amazing, no vandalism. I think they are quite quaint.

Norwood

Anonymous said...

A hotel gets vandalized yet a phone doesn't. Strange world you got B. Cute none here.

Jilly said...

Oh wonderful to see the great British phone box. I didn't know they even existed anymore with out world of portable telephones. Lovely shot.

Ann said...

You still have those! I thought they'd all gone. Can't visit as often (work monitors us) but I still love your blog and drop in when I can, even if I don't comment.

Gaelyn said...

What a scarcity. I haven't seen a phone booth in forever.
I like the special affect.

Lilli & Nevada said...

I love your phone booths, its funny because i was talking to someone the other day and phone booths came up and we realized that we don't see very many booths anymore, so many have been taken out, I guess because of the cell phones,

George said...

Your red phone booth is really neat. If I remember correctly Royal Mail issued a set of stamps of classic designs and included this type of phone booth in the set.

Hope said...

I have only seen a British phone booth in the World Showcase at Epcot at Walt Disney World. I've always admired these phone booths thinking they are really beautiful and am glad to hear this one is still in operation. A lovely photo!

angela said...

The red really shouts out from the shot. Well done!

It's so nice to see one of these again.

Copenhagen said...

Happy theme day! I love that colour of red.

Maria Verivaki said...

there are also red british phone booths found in greece, bought by shop owners and the like o create a sense of private space for various purposes. they really are special

nazeee said...

this is the iconic royal telephone box...

Anonymous said...

The good old, smelly phonebox - with the door that pinches and barely lets you excape. But I do miss them.

Anonymous said...

We Germans love those typical red English telephone boxes very much. Ours were yellow for a lot of time, now they are pink (!) and grey ;-)

Carraol said...

A beautiful and very distinctive symbol of modern times. Great choice for the day!

valeria said...

This is "the Icon"! I love those red booths!

Small City Scenes said...

Perfect!!! MB

Anonymous said...

We no longer have telephone booths here. I can't remember when the last one was removed. I never saw one painted red until today on your blog.

It does make a nice photo for this theme day.

Hilda said...

A very British choice for theme day, and I love it!

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Babooshka:

This is our first participation in theme day. GLASS, how fun. We knew you'd have an interesting post!

Ham said...

A phonebox with a directory in it. And glass. Truly a rare and wonderful thing.

The original STD call boxes were brilliant. The old "booking a call with the operator" trick from the button A&B boxes still worked (you phoned up the operator, asked to book a call to wherever at a given time and gave the number of the phone box, the operator called you and it was free) but still better, if you tapped out the number on the "hook" ( one tap for 1, two for 2 etc) you got through for free, too.

Anonymous said...

I love that red box, so amazingly beautiful and this looks rare nowadays. :)A clever post for theme day!

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Thanks Babooshka! We went back in and revised our text on the glass post. We now understand that NO CONTEST is involved!

Jan

Tanya Breese said...

LOVE that red! Isn't it sad that this things will soon be a thing of the past?

Shantaram said...

There were some like this in Chennai too... can't remember when I last saw them, though! Nice take on the theme.... 'Red & Glass'!!

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

This is a classic.

My favorite unexpected location for a British phone booth is in front of the Cafe Biela, a leading sidewalk cafe in front of the Plaza Francia park in front of the Recoleta Cemetery in the heart of Buenos Aires.

The Recoleta Cemetery is a major tourist attraction. It is where Eva Peron is now interred, and it is like a city of sculpture because of the high density, above-ground masoleums.

Halcyon said...

What could be more appropriate for the theme day than an old phone box? Great choice!

Happy theme day!

Anonymous said...

Wow. This is a terrific photo. I love how the red just pops out.

Rob said...

Having never seen one of these in person, I enjoy them from photos, such as yours, and travel shows, etc.

Sad to see these Phone boxes dwindle in numbers due to the misery of the cell phone. Instead of private calls from these boxes, we are now subjected to everyone's phone calls as we go about our day on the streets. Are technological advancements an improvement? I sometimes wonder.

Anonymous said...

Nice one.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

this is a great photo and provides me great memories of actually using these fabulous red phone booths throughout England. Great theme day photo and good background on them I also am glad you liked my Chihuly theme day photo.

crocrodyl said...

Great composition of red and grey!

Laurie Allee said...

THere is an old British red phone box outside a restaurant in Pasadena. It still has the original signs for UK phone codes.

Gorgeous image. I love the desaturated wall making that gorgeous red just jump out of the frame.

Lois said...

It's a great choice for Theme Day! I have never seen one in person and I hope to see one before they are all gone.

Brian Miller said...

love red phone boxes. paired well witht he gray wall. nice pic and play on the theme.

Anonymous said...

Well done Babs. I can see the directory in the enlarged version. How about an inside image?

Unknown said...

Always good to see a British icon still surviving. Nearly everything else has gone, and if Number 10 had their way we wouldn't have any £ now, only €.

We still have a few of these red boxes dotted around, in fact I featured one nearly 3 years ago now!

airplane5312 said...

But where is Doctor Who??

Sterl the Pearl's Daily Pics of Boulder said...

I miss these wonderful phone booths - I lived in London for 4 years and always walked by them thinkng how nice they looked. Wonderful photo - I love the coloring and composition.

Ming the Merciless said...

That is definitely an iconic image in British architecture and design. I have always loved the bright red color.

Great job on the theme.

Ursel said...

I like the intense red. I'm glad these Boxes are still around. Although I may not use them anymore, but isn't it kind of architecture that should be preserved?

marley said...

Thought i'd commented already, but I haven't. Anyway...

Love the contrasting colours. Nice idea for theme day.

Jane Hards Photography said...

Dr Who is in his Tardis-the blue Plice Phone Box. In fact I have an image of him on the blog already.

PJ said...

The red paint is so luscious. I like the light streaming through and reflecting on the outside. You can't find phone booths/boxes here anymore. I know of one free-standing pay phone sill in existence. I'm sure there are more but I haven't seen them.

Kerri said...

Love this choice for the theme! The red looks so brilliant!

Keith said...

An instantly recognizable image! Glad people are showing respect and not damaging it. The more they disappear, the more people will want them.

imac said...

They are nice arn't they, we have one in our hospital nr the stairs to the canteen.

Karen said...

Lovely photo. Sad that the phone boxes are disappearing everywhere. I think we have a few of the red ones at some of our many British Pubs here in Central Florida. Epcot has one, I'm sure.

Tom Jones has one at his place in Los Angeles. He received the call that his son had been born in that phone box and years later he bought it and moved it to California/ He said he received the call that his grandchild had been born there, too. I liked when he told that story and think of it whenever I see the red phone booth.

Kate said...

These phone booths are so classic and classy, too! We never had any like these in the states, but I wish we had! Great choice!

raf said...

What could be more perfect for your glass theme? This is great, Baboosh, and nice to see a departure from an all natural photo that works so well as yours today.

Z said...

Hi Babs! We have one in our tiny Swiss village! Link to my blog post about it: 20070223

Sally said...

We used to have them too - all gone now, I fear.
Do you remember the phones with Button A & Button B?

Unknown said...

Great composed photo.
Public payphones have basically been scrapped in Norway, but they have maintained 200 pieces around the country.

Marie-Noyale said...

So Uniquely British!
I like the glass reflection on the stone wall.

Unknown said...

I have not seen this in a long long time!

Happy belated Theme Day! :-)

Fabrizio Zanelli said...

They are like black "bulky" but so loved by everyone: taxi.

You're right they are so loved by tourist but in my case it recalls two wonderful remember: when seventeen (many years ago) I called home from England and my very first kiss sit in a bench in front of it. Thank you !

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