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Babergh District Council is to seek to take enforcement action against BT in a bid to make the telecomms giant return a listed phone box in the village of Bildeston.
The traditional red phone box was removed by BT after it was damaged during an attempted robbery of the village’s Post Office. Babergh has since learnt that the company has no intention of returning the original kiosk nor to replace it with any more modern form of installation.
The Bildeston phone box is of a type known as the ‘K6’ or ‘Jubilee’ kiosk and was designed in 1936 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Constructed in cast iron, it is the best known traditional kiosk. Some 3000 were installed before 1939.
When BT announced their kiosk replacement programme in the mid- 1980s there was a public outcry against their removal. This led to a nationwide programme of listing those remaining K6s that were built prior to 1939. The kiosk at Bildeston met the necessary criteria and was confirmed as a listed building in 1987.
Babergh is writing to BT to explain its requirements for the repair and return of the original red box.
Michael Collins, Babergh’s Conservation Officer, said “this is an essential part of the character of the village and is both a satisfactory neighbour to the surrounding historic buildings as well as a useful resource for visitors and residents alike.” |