The story of the converted phone boxes around Basingstoke

Pre-pandemic, taking a visit to the heart of London would not only see tourists looking at the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge, but also taking photos in a telephone box.

Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, the K6 kiosk was commissioned by the General Post Office in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V, and were one of eight types introduced between 1926 and 1983.

Around 60,000 of the K6 kiosk were installed between 1936 and 1968, with around 3,400 still in operation in England today.

This phone box in Brown Candover has been converted into a library. Photo: Keith Banks.

Away from the heart of the capital though, many of the boxes fell into disrepair once mobile phones became commonplace. But, the story did not end there. With a bit of love from the community, the humble red phone box has taken on a new lease of life.

One of these is in Brown Candover, where two of The Gazette's Camera Club have been snapping away at the ingenious solution. The box has been transformed into a little library, featuring dozens of books for the community to borrow.

In a world where library services are being cut, including recently across Hampshire with the closure of eight libraries, these boxes can afford many people access to books they otherwise would not have. Brown Candover's nearest Hampshire County Council-run library is around six miles away in Alresford.

The Brown Candover phone box. Photo: Alan Trott.

The phone box library gives residents who are not able to get to council-run libraries a way to still get all the benefits of reading.

Whether they work as a place where you can borrow a book and return when you're done, or as an 'exchange', they certainly are becoming a popular feature of many villages and towns.

All of this came about after BT allowed communities to adopt their local phone boxes which otherwise would have been removed. The scheme was open to councils, including parish councils, as well as charities and private landowners. Since its launch, more than 5,000 communities across the UK have been a part of this.

But its not just Brown Candover. There are also converted boxes in Cliddesden, Farleigh Wallop, Rotherwick, Ellisfield and Barton Stacey.

In 2018, The Gazette reported how a telephone kiosk in Old Basing had been converted into a book swap.

The opening of the Old Basing Book Exchange in 2018. Images: Tony Took

The idea of a village book exchange came from local business owner, Laura Haystaff of The Topiary Salon.

Speaking at the time, she said: “I have seen book exchanges popping up in villages similar to ours and thought was a great idea for our own.

"We held an exchange before Christmas at our salon, and the idea carried from there.”

Meanwhile, a disused telephone box in Steventon has been converted into a Jane Austen Information Centre.

Telephone book box exchange for Jane Austen in Steventon, opened in 2017.

The then-Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Councillor Paul Frankum, and mayoress, Cllr Jane Frankum, were on hand to cut the ribbon in the village which Jane Austen called home for the first 25 years of her life.

Cllr Peter Lees, chairman of Steventon Parish Council, said in 2017: “What was an eyesore in the middle of the village has been transformed into something that we can truly be proud of.”