It has been a long process, and we are incredibly grateful for the support of Simon Higgs and Calico Projects, who already run the libraries, who stepped in to be our sponsor as this adoption required the involvement of a charity.
Over the years, these old kiosks have been transformed into many things, from libraries to coffee shops, and now we are looking for your ideas of how we could best use this location to make Forest Hill a better place to live and visit.
Maybe an art gallery, showcasing local artists? A tourist information point? A “history listening booth”? A mini, private cinema (sponsors would be required)?
We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions. We will then review these and maybe put out a poll to get feedback on the best (and most practical) ideas.
What I am about to write now is one of those aha! moments that spring out like a loaded catapult because they have been brewing in the background for quite a long time. As such I have learned (and am desperately trying to learn still) to catch myself from the terrible mistake of announcing an idea in a presumptuous tone. This is only because the idea is being shot out of a cannon so fast I have barely time to adjust the speed or trajectory. So my apologies. I’m working on it.
Ok, so preamble aside, here goes:
On the opposite side of the road is what once appeared on a map as being labelled Havelock Terrace and of course Havelock Walk is thus named behind it. So we rightly have presumed that in all likeliness, given the dates that it was, as was the trend, named for General Havelock, who is recalled in Trafalgar Square on one of the four plinths in the square. And the fourth plinth which was never used was apparently intended for William IV on horseback. That is the same person remembered in the unsanctioned/unofficial plaque (on Honor Oak Rd) as having stayed at what was originally Ashbarry Cottage, just up and round the corner. After several years of research (which I will aim to summarise sometime in the history section) I can confirm that there is reasonable grounds to believe that the then Prince William and Dorothea Jordan would likely have stayed overnight several times in that location as guests of the Master of the Surrey Hunt who resided next door in Hill House.
So we have General Havelock, we have William IV, two of the plinth subjects, one present, one unrealised. And it is for this reason that the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is now used as a rotating display, to create a vibrant discourse around the commissioning of public art. The actual backstory to this intervention grew out of the mounting criticism of the Henry Havelock statue in Trafalgar Sq.
This and other perspectives were constructively channelled (amongst others) by the Royal Society of Arts who imagined the plinth as a podium to display temporary exhibits rather than one permanent commission and the Fourth Plinth has established itself as one of the most engaging cultural interventions in our city life.
Therefor I think we can take great inspiration from the ideas based around how such thinking has brought into the public sphere such a fresh reinterpretation of our built heritage (as a platform for the new) and apply this thinking to the phonebox. Not necessarily the very specific idea as such, but the mindset of open dialogue and the exploration of possibility which the Fourth Plinth has embraced and embodied with such joy.
Please share it here if you feel able or it makes sense to let others see. We have put this topic up for that reason.
Anyone who has ideas, please share if you can.
If you want/need to discuss it first (for any reason) just send a direct message to @foresthillsociety
Thanks
[I see you are a new user so you cannot send direct messages yet, so I will send a quick hello to you, that way you can direct message back if needed, Andrew - FHS Exec committee]
I have been trying to acquire a booth for sometime now and spotted one on Devonshire Rd @ the old post office building, but to no joy.
My idea is to use the both as an art space for local artists as Forest Hill and its close proximity is known as an artist hub and attracts very large crowds.
We can use the space for solo, group exhibition, school art and craft show, booth photo day exhibition et al and even open the space for donations to maintain it’s surroundings, promotions and landmark!
I walk past the phone box on my way home so have been thinking about a few possible ideas. I do like the idea of doing it like the Trafalgar square fourth plinth - which means rotate whatever we do with the phone box a couple / few times a year.
Thank you Abiola, that’s great to hear that idea. The fact that it would extend participation to many people is very appealing. I think one of our main considerations would be how to achieve any displays to attract the positive attention/impact they should deserve, but minimising the incidents of planned or casual theft. For that reason we will want to think about the way the contents of the phonebox will be of low (or even very low) value.
So as regards to art we wouldn’t be able to exhibit any original items without securing the level of insurance needed to cover both the contents and the phonebox, and almost certainly in the first year we will likely want to trial the most hassle free and minimal cost plan. Because we have a contract to look after the phonebox we cannot do anything that might cause even one instance of an individual trying to break it open.
But that should be absolutely no reason for the creative community not to design such a solution, this can be done with sheer invention. We need to be clever.
This one would be a Christmas idea. Have a fan in the base of the phone box and somehow (not thought this through) white fake snow would be blown around and there would be fairy lights too.
This is from ChatGPT but gives you an idea. Not sure why it stuck Big Ben in there…
Andrew, to the thoughts you have shared, below is my points to consider
Display to Attract
refurbishment of box (is this possible)
Interior design layout
Lock installation
Donation POS system installation
Banner and pole flags(if allowed)
Incident & Theft Possibly plus Safeguarding
Artist must the full insurance to cover display
Phonebox insurance if applicable
Phonebox Caretakers (volunteer)
Installation of key lock or digital number locker
Low/Zero Displayed Value & First Year Trial
print display only
Glass mural artwork
Original artwork can be displayed and manned by artist for opening and private viewing (removed after the end of day)
Replace artwork with print version
I have an associate who collaborates with the Brit museum who have a number of Red Phonebox across central London so I will reach out for some guidance
I really value this contribution because we have now established in the discussion what level of forethought we are working with/toward to meet the obligations we need to fulfill.
And of course we must specifically be compatible with
a) the aims of Forest Hill Society
b) our sponsor, Calico Projects, a charity with its specific aims
c) the contract with BT which applies equally I believe to all participants of the scheme
I know there are plenty more suggestions possibly out there and in the spirit of facilitation I suppose I should ask everyone to keep fluid right at this start so we can evaluate what the possibilities are. So do keep the ideas coming in.
Even if you come up with an unlikely or improbable idea, as long as the intention is well meaning we can (nearly) always devise a way to refactor the idea into a scaled down or workable one. The point at this stage is to open our minds to possibilities and opportunities.
I’m only pitching in to help out. We can achieve more when we all help out as best we can. We are all volunteers at FHS. So I expect when we have reached a certain threshold of participation the FHS committee will look at the possibilities and decide how to proceed next.
But so far (I think) we are getting the general tone right. What do people think so far?
I know the world feels difficult right now and we all need a beacon of joy.
It had physical prints & postcards for sale, with online payment details. There’s a clearer photo of the inside here https://www.simonwellingtonartist.co.uk/. So yes, it’s run as an honesty box, which seems to work, as it’s raised over £6,000 in 3 years. Perhaps it being signposted for charity is an effective deterrent (and/or being in a genteel corner of Seaton).
There’s been a micro art gallery, Crystal Palace Calling, in a phone box in Crystal Palace Park since 2022. Different artists take over or exhibit for a month or so at a time.
I think it’s been seen as a great success - though it was once broken into and artworks stolen.
