| Admin/Biog History | One of Stamp's most famous campaigns was the Telephone Box campaign. After the privatisation of British Telecom (BT) in 1984, BT set out to replace the red telephone kiosks with the KX series which, it was claimed were cheaper to maintain, more resistant to vandalism, and designed to blend in with any surroundings.
The Thirties Society opposed the removal of the older kiosk models, and wrote to every local authority alerting them to the kiosks' removal. Many of the responses were published in a report published by the Society, 'The British Telephone Box
take it as red', written by Clive Aslet and Alan Powers.
The Thirties Society also pressed the Department of Environment for statutory listing of kiosks as miniature buildings, and on the 6 Aug 1986, Lord Elton, Minister of State for the Environment, listed a kiosk which stood outside the Parrot House at London Zoo. As a result the K2 models designed by Giles Scott and a few K4s were listed.
However, most examples of the K6 model were only able to be listed if it could be proved that they had been installed before 1939 until 1987, when the end date for listing was replaced by the thirty-year rule.
In total around 3,000 telephone boxes were listed. |
| Description | This series contains material relating to Stamp's role as an activist, scholar and journalist in the campaign to save the red telephone boxes. It includes extensive correspondence and images. The correspondence is varied in content and was received by Stamp from:
-other professionals working in the field (e.g. Neil Johannessen, Neville Conder)
-other societies (e.g. Telecomunications Heritage Group)
-companies (e.g. British Telecom)
-charities (e.g. English Heritage)
-government departments and local councils (e.g. Department of Environment, London Borough of Camden)
-members of the public (often describing where they have spotted telephone boxes in the UK and abroad, with photographs attached)
-friends (often the content is of a personal nature, but the card/post card chosen depicts a telephone box)
The majority of this material was organised in untitled folders or as loose material, and has been organised into the following four files during the cataloguing process:
-GMS/2/1/1/1/1, Telephone box campaign, 1985-1987
-GMS/2/1/1/1/2, Telephone box campaign, 1988-1998
-GMS/2/1/1/1/3, Publication: Telephone Boxes
-GMS/2/1/1/1/4, Public Inquiry, The Promenade, Cheltenham
The first two files contain information concerning Stamp's involvement in the campaign. This material was organised as loose material and has been ordered chronologically during the cataloguing process.
GMS/2/1/1/1/3, contains information concerning the publication: Stamp, Gavin (1989). Telephone Boxes. London: Chatto & Windus.
GMS/2/1/1/1/4, contains information concerning a public inquiry held in Cheltenham.
The material in this series is varied in format and includes:
-correspondence
-images
-newspaper and journal cuttings
-reports
-proof of evidence reports |