Whitley Bay rare phone box set for community restoration

The three-in-one phone box is outside Whitley Bay Metro station in North Tyneside

A Grade II-listed phone box put up as part of an experiment to replace post offices looks set to be restored.

The kiosk in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, was one of only 50 of its kind when it was unveiled in 1928.

Known as a K4 (kiosk number four) it acted simultaneously as a public telephone, post box and stamp dispenser, but over the decades it has fallen foul to vandalism.

A community group has been granted permission to bring it back to life.

Just a few dozen of the experimental K4 kiosks were built but they proved unpopular and over the years most were removed and placed in museums.

The noise generated by the stamp dispenser disrupted phone calls much to the annoyance of users, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The majority of the phone boxes were withdrawn in 1935.

Over the decades the three-in-one unit, which bears the cypher of King George V, has become worse for wear and targeted by vandals.

It is hoped the K4's post box will play a part in its revival

The Whitley Bay Big Local has adopted the historic street furniture, which stands outside the Metro station.

"The plans are to refurbish it to how it would have been in 1928 and to become a museum piece involving locals," said Sarah Sutton, community engagement manager.

"It is all about preserving not just the heritage of this site but also the whole history.

"We want people to get posting again. Lots of young people don't use postal systems anymore."

There is a hope it will encourage pen-pals among local schoolchildren in communities with other K4s.

The group is now looking to secure funding to get its plan off the ground after receiving permission for the upgrade.