Let's not beat around the bush - there are few books more calculated to get me to hit the "Buy now" button that one that combines my twin interests of the Isle of Man, and telephone kiosks.
I might be a niche market, but it's a very comfortable niche.
The book tours Mona's Isle with a selection of captioned photos of various kiosks and their surrounding scenery.
The author has looked beyond the classic K6 box and includes some of the modern(ish) KX1000 range. With these being very much under threat, it's only fair that they get a look in before they are also only a memory on our streets - after all, when was the last time you saw a Mercury kiosk?
Most excitingly for 'phone box nerds, the island is home to three K8 boxes!
I'll admit, this book looks a lot like my photo collection. At least two scrapbooks full of similar photos exist on my shelves, and countless files on my computer. The thing is, photographing a 'phone box is a great way to learn composition. It's a standard item, so the skill is making each one look its best. Great fun!
For me, this is a great way to look around the Island's lesser know spots. Some I'm familiar with. Others less so but I'll look up if and when we can travel again.
Production is very good. Photos are well reproduced in colour. The captions are long enough - after all, there's not that much you can say each time!
It's nice to see many boxes being repurposed as defibrillator holders or mini libraries. Our streetscape would be poorer without them.
I bought my copy from the Lexicon Bookshop in Douglas.
5 comments:
When you get a chance and are in the area, a trip to Milton Keynes Museum would help your phone obsession once it's open again.
They have a gallery called "Connected Earth" which is communication through the ages and has lots of items donated by BT and C&W etc. And some larger outdoor items too including a very large BT phone push button built on a van.
George
One of the odder modelmaking jobs I worked on was a full size telephone box for (I think) GKN Engineering in Telford, Shropshire. This was around 1993-1994. GKN and other companies were, I think, (again memory is hazy) tendering to BT to produce the next-generation of phone boxes. We had a full size KX1000 in the workshop and our job was to produce some fancier corner pillars and a domed roof styled on the old K6 as an engineering prototype for GKN to put forward to BT.
Like this one Colin? http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/kiosks/kx100-plus/
Very similar to that one, Phil.
I can't make out the detail of the black vertical framing on the sides and door. The design we built had a shallow concave dishing along the entire length of the black framing. In our model we mainly used wood for all the framing (it kept the bare steel outer frame) and used a shallow setting on the circular saw to take as much meat out of the curve as we could before sanding it all smooth.
The real things have a vast number of Allen screws holding everything together. The modelling company was Shropshire Modelmaking Company based just outside Bridgnorth.
Dear Colin, (or Phil to ask Colin to contact me if you see this before he does)
I am researching the history of the KX kiosks that GKN made for BT with the input of DCA Design). Found this thread by chance from a search string on Google. Would love the chance to ask a few questions about the prototype KX+ scale/full size model you made for GKN as since Sankey/GKN closed down their, records are proving very hard to track down.
Anything from anecdotal recollections to photographs of the KX+ kiosk you made while at Shropshire Modelmaking would be interesting. Please make contact if you can on kxkiosk@hotmail.com or via twitter on @K8iosk or @KXkiosk
I have also spoken to a man called Alan (now at Fineline Models) who recalls working with Colin, and also on what sounds like the KX500 series of totem pole BT phone booths (also made by GKN). ( https://www.britishtelephones.com/bt/pictures/kx560.jpg )
Please send me a email or message if you have the time, so that I may contact you to explain more about the research and what its feeding into (essentially a historic summary document to support an attempt to get some of the 'modern' phonebox kiosks formally listed (as listed buildings) before they all disappear). Your input would be much valued as the perspective of your involvement seems pretty much unique.
Sincerely,
Franc
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