Village phone box converted into book exchange

Parish councillor Ian Sibley-Calder described the phone box restoration as a "labour of love"

A disused phone box on an East Yorkshire village green has been transformed into a book exchange.

The classic 1930s box was bought by the local parish council for £1 before being lovingly restored with broken windows repaired and a fresh coat of red paint.

Custom-built shelving allow locals to swap books.

Ian Sibley-Calder, from Hutton Cranswick Parish Council, described the repair work as a "labour of love".

"When I took it over, it had nine panes of glass left in it and everything was rusted and essentially falling to bits inside," he said.

"It required, well, almost a year's worth of hard labour, of chipping it away, several with chisels and hammers, angle grinders, sanders and just a lot of hard work, really."

The K6 box was introduced in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of George V.

It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was also the architect of Battersea Power Station and Liverpool Cathedral.

More than 60,000 were installed between 1936 and 1968, according to the Telephone Box website.

The 1930s phone box is now used by villagers as a book exchange

Thousands have been taken out of use with the rise of mobile phones.

BT has introduced the Adopt a Kiosk scheme, allowing communities to take over disused boxes.

Many now house defibrillators, with some transformed into art galleries.

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