The Telephone Box Project

For many years the red telephone box was located next to the post box on the A3090. Due to its deteriorating state, the door had become warped and partially detached and the box was damp, neglected and overgrown with ivy etc. The Parish Council decided to move it to a drier, brighter and more accessible location where it could begin the next phase of its life with a new purpose. Just before Christmas 2023 the box was moved from its old site to an ideal spot just outside the Village Hall.

The Men's Shed in Romsey very kindly agreed to refurbish the door for us separately. A Councillor Community grant has generously provided the funding for the purchase of the spare parts for the project. The refurbishment of the door was completed to a very high standard and returned to the hall in 2024.

The work then began to restore the remainder of the box to a similar high standard. All 16 large windows and 32 small windows were removed and the laborious task of removing all the dirt and old sealing tape was carried out voluntarily by members of the Parish Council over many weeks. The original acetate windows were very carefully cleaned by Julian Jones to prevent any damage. In October 2024 the work began to restore the main metal frame of the box which had suffered many years of neglect. The old paint had to be tested for lead content before the work started and then Mike Hansford slowly removed the old layers of paint and rust using a gas blow torch - again a very slow and difficult process. When all the preparation was complete a pink primer/undercoat was applied before the final bright red gloss paint provided the glorious final touch. Now in 2025, the work has begun to reassemble the box. New sealing tape has been applied to the edges of each of the 48 windows and then each pane can be refitted and fixed in place with new rivets.

On 7th March 2025, Chris Ling and I started refitting the 48 windows complete with new sealing tape which made the task very tricky indeed.  We had to line up each pane with the rivet holes so that we could insert the new brass rivets to secure each window - this job took over 8 hours to complete.

When we dismantled the phone box for refurbishment, we removed the 'telephone sign' windows at the top of the box,. Three were in good condition and just needed a good clean, the fourth one had obviously been replaced some time ago, was made of acrylic and was a poor fit. Later in March 2025 we ordered a replacement sign to complete the set and these were fitted on 15th May 2025 - a major step which really enhanced the box.

On 27th June 2025 we enlisted the help of Martin Hatley and Mike Hansford to help us lift the refurbished door into place and hang it on the brass hinges. Again the 2 hours we set aside to complete the job turned into 6 hours as the door wouldn't close properly because the layers of new paint made the door slightly too wide - but only by a couple of millimetres - so frustrating ! Once this was sorted and we were satisfied that the door closed we were able to fit the door closure to complete the job. The telephone box looks magnificent, now all we need to do is clean the black plate and shelves and fit them back inside, we'll then install a bookshelf and our work will be complete !

Julie Trotter