England - London - Red Phone Box & Big Ben - Although arguably an endangered species these days, the red telephone box created by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott has long been considered a design icon: one of those items that instantly marked the nations identity to overseas visitors. Nothing that has been designed since to fulfil the same purpose has been anywhere near so fondly regarded. And since so many of us have mobile phones now anyway, we could be forgiven for hardly noticing. Public telephony did not always take place in an illuminated, sheltered kiosk on the street. In the late 19th century, public phones were situated in hotel foyers and shops, very often with an attendant on hand in the posher establishments to contact the telephone exchange on your behalf and collect the fee. The provision of street kiosks began in the early 1900s, with each municipal authority producing its own design. (Source: http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/the-phone-box/biography/the-red-phone-box-biography-finished)
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