Iconic Red Telephone Box in Blisworth Village

This K6 telephone box, which has a little-known historic fact attached to it, is still in use today. Many years ago, when having a phone in the home was regarded as a luxury, this box was in fact one half of a 'party line', which meant that one or more subscribers who wanted to use the telephone at the same time had to sort it out between themselves as to whose call was the most important. In the case of Blisworth's K6, one of the parties connected to it was the local post mistress. If an emergency call was to be made the caller had to speak to the post mistress first. It was her responsibility to call whichever emergency service was required. This state of affairs continued until the 1970s when a new, small telephone exchange was built in the village.

This K6 telephone box, which has a little-known historic fact attached to it, is still in use today. Many years ago, when having a phone in the home was regarded as a luxury, this box was in fact one half of a 'party line', which meant that one or more subscribers who wanted to use the telephone at the same time had to sort it out between themselves as to whose call was the most important. In the case of Blisworth's K6, one of the parties connected to it was the local post mistress. If an emergency call was to be made the caller had to speak to the post mistress first. It was her responsibility to call whichever emergency service was required. This state of affairs continued until the 1970s when a new, small telephone exchange was built in the village.

blisworth village k6 phone kiosk red telephone box northamptonshire villages local history england Post Boxes and Telephone Boxes

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