The Bath Preservation Trust snapped up an unusual early Christmas present, a Grade II–listed K6 red telephone box on Queen’s Parade Place, for just £1.
The phone box that will be transformed | Photo © BPT
The charity has taken ownership of the classic kiosk, which stands at the southern steps leading to Gravel Walk, a Regency promenade made famous by its appearance in a key scene in Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
The phone box, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, has been largely out of use since the rise of mobile phones but remains a much-loved feature of the streetscape near the city centre.
Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) plans to repair and restore the box, including repainting, re-waxing and re-glazing it, before installing new display panels telling the story of Gravel Walk and the surrounding area, giving the structure a fresh role as a heritage information point.
Alex Sherman, CEO of Bath Preservation Trust, said: “BPT is well known for its care and conservation of the double-inscribed World Heritage site of Bath and particularly its listed buildings.
“This beautiful and classic piece of Britain’s streetscape is an important feature in the city but one which is in desperate need of love and attention.
“We are looking forward to seeing the phone box fully conserved with fresh paint and new glass and giving it a new lease of life, to help people understand more about Bath’s unique heritage.
“The K6 telephone box is our first non-Georgian built structure and is 108 years younger than our next youngest building, Beckford’s Tower.
“We are very proud to be looking after such an important piece of 20th-century design.”
Bath Preservation Trust already owns and operates four museums in the city – No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Museum of Bath Architecture (currently closed), the Herschel Museum of Astronomy and Beckford’s Tower.
Each is based in a historic building and showcases Bath’s social, scientific, architectural and historic significance, as well as providing spaces for learning and engagement with local heritage.
