If you’re wondering where the top London telephone booth locations are for capturing those iconic photos, this guide is for you. We’ve tracked down the most photogenic red phone booths in London, saving you the legwork. So you can simply grab your Oyster card and camera and go!
Or why not book a professional photoshoot with our London photography partner Scalens Studio? An awesome souvenir of your stay and the perfect way to remember your trip to London forever – quote UKTP10 at checkout for 10 extra images free.
The red London telephone box is a cultural and travel icon, so here’s a brief history. BT – short for British Telecom – are in charge of the London red phone box. This story started, though, with the GPO (General Post Office) – BT’s precursor.
The very first phone booth in England appeared during the late 1800s, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that things really started to happen. ‘Kiosk One’ appeared in 1921 and was a cream concrete structure with a red door. The red phone booth in London we all know and love is the K6 model, designed in 1935 to celebrate King George V’s silver jubilee.
By 1992 there were more than just red telephone booths in London – 92,000 were spread throughout the UK. From then on, their use gradually declined, and now there’s a mere scattering in comparison.
Many people now hunt down a classic red telephone booth in London for that all-important picture. But there’s more to it than that.
Every time a London red telephone box is for sale, someone will snap it up, transforming it into the likes of a mini tourist information centre, a home for a defibrillator or a compact library. During our recent travels, we spotted a small London telephone booth bookcase in a Devon village.
Anyway, we digress. Now you know what it’s all about, let’s move on to listing 9 of the top old London telephone booth locations. Or phone box, if you’re British. Here are the best places in the capital to take those red London telephone booth pictures for posterity.
