A Fine Pair # 1159 ~ Finchampstead Traditional Geocache

Number 1159 in a series of caches where a red telephone box is in close proximity to a post box.

The only rules are that they have to be able to be photographed together, be not more than 100’ apart and the phone boxes have to be red.

The first standard public telephone kiosk, introduced by the United Kingdom Post Office, was produced in concrete in 1920 and was designated K1 (Kiosk No.1).

The red telephone box was the result of a competition in 1924 to design a kiosk that would be acceptable to the London Metropolitan Boroughs which had resisted the Post Office's effort to erect K1 kiosks on their streets.

The Post Office chose to make Scott's winning design in cast iron (Scott had suggested mild steel) and to paint it red (Scott had suggested silver, with a "greeny-blue" interior) and, with other minor changes of detail, it was brought into service as the Kiosk No.2 or K2. From 1926 K2 was deployed in and around London.

The red phone box evolved in the form of K3-5 but the K6 is last, and by far the most widespread model used.

The K6 was designed in 1935 to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V. K6 was the first red telephone kiosk to be used extensively outside of London, and many thousands were deployed in virtually every town and city, replacing most of the existing kiosks and establishing thousands of new sites. It has become a British icon, although it was not universally loved at the start. The red colour caused particular local difficulties and there were many requests for less visible colours.

In 1952 the new Queen, Elizabeth II, decided to depart from the practice of using the purely symbolic 'Tudor Crown' as the symbol of her government, and instead use a representation of the actual crown generally used for British coronations, the St Edward's Crown. This new symbol therefore began to appear on the fascias of K6 kiosks.

The once familiar Red Phone Box is rapidly disappearing from the manscape due to the realtive ease of mobile phones. Finchampstead have repurposed and preserved theirs for the community and you:-).

This cache is placed by the kind permission of Finchamstead Parish Council who have addoped the box and turned it in to an excellent Book Swop and saving it for future generations. If you see anything out of place as you look for the cache please let the CO know in your log.

Sadly the Book Swap failed due to inapropriate material being placed in it.  Finchampstaed Parish Council did intend to reopen it  but other matters have overtaken them since 2018 and it has remains closed. The original cache and log is still inside can you spot it ?  But I have place a new and not so much fun one on the outside.  The HINT relates to facing the original door. 

Happy Caching    Sunflower Twin