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Abandoned phone box highlights 'rich' local history

Bea SwallowWest of England
News imageBBC Kathy Cook and Roger Deeks standing beside the restored phone box. The surrounding area has been cleared of brambles and bracken, and the phone box has been painted a bright red, with the Telephone signs newly installed. Kathy is wearing a padded purple coat and glasses and is leaning out of the open door, smiling at the camera. Roger is standing on the left, wearing blue jeans and a brown jacket with his hands in his pockets. It is a sunny winter day and the trees are bare.BBC
Kathy Cook and Roger Deeks are part of the team restoring the disused phone box

Volunteers say an abandoned phone box which has been transformed into a mini museum is uncovering a "rich" history from the local area.

Kathy Cook and Roger Deeks are part of the team restoring the disused phone box in Oldcroft, Gloucestershire, which fell into disrepair around 15 years ago.

The group have since hosted talks, events and nature walks around the community focal point, which Mr Deeks said have "thrown up interesting stories" from locals.

Plans are now being made to fill it with pictures, paintings, stories, messages, maps and landmarks to help residents and visitors learn more about the area.

Volunteers also hope to install a new phone to allow visitors to hear pre-recorded "stories of old".

News imageThe K6 Project An old red telephone box in the middle of a field of ferns. The greenery has become overgrown and is reaching half way up the phone box to the handle. The Perspex panes are clouded and mouldy. The red paint is chipped and the panel at the top which reads 'Telephone' is barely legible. The K6 Project
The old telephone box, pictured here in 2021, had fallen into disrepair and become overgrown

Ms Cook got involved with the heritage project in December 2024 because she could no longer watch the once-proud structure become engulfed by brambles.

Since then, the pre-1955 phone box has been repainted a glossy red and the shattered glass panels replaced with Perspex to keep the elements out.

The telephone signs have also been donated from another vintage phone box which was dismantled for scraps.

"A lot of people think it's nice to see it all smartened up and actually being used for something, rather than just sitting there decaying year by year," said Ms Cook.

Its restoration is the result of a united community effort, with residents volunteering to help and local artists offering their skills to bring life and colour back to the phone box.

News imageThe restored phone box pictured on a sunny winter day. It has been freshly painted a bright red, the Telephone signs are newly installed and the glass panels have been replaced with Perspex. There is a telephone pole on the right, and the surrounding land has been cleared of bracken and brambles. In the background there is a thick woodland with various types of trees.
Volunteers have led nature walks to explore the surrounding vistas and learn more about the local area

Mr Deeks, a local historian, said the goal is to "engage" residents and young people with the history the rural area was built upon.

The group has traced and uncovered some of the boundary stones on the cusp of the Forest of Dean, revealing clues about early settlements in the area.

Mr Deeks said the "most exciting thing" about the project was hearing the stories "coming out of people's homes".

"People tell you things that you may not have otherwise known.

"The area's history is owned by people and their ancestors. All of that is really rich and it engages people with their area, makes them care about it," he added.

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