AN iconic red telephone box took mobile phone to the next level this afternoon when it was lifted of its foundations and taken away on a forklift.

There was consternation on Porthleven Harbour front when one of its most recognisable landmarks was uprooted from the spot it has been for decades.

But don't worry the telephone box isn't going to be removed permanently, it is being restored to its former glory by the port arts community.

Alec Short, organiser of the Porthleven Arts Festival and a member of the Porthleven Arts Community group, told the Packet, the box was being removed as part of an agreement with the Porthleven Harbour and Dock Company.

"It is going to be restored to its former glory by the Porthleven Arts Community," he said. "It's been kindly paid for by the harbour and dock company and will have a number of uses when it's finished."

Falmouth Packet:

The telephone box was decommissioned about a year ago by BT and released to the harbour and dock company who gave it to the arts community.

The box will be restored to how it looked before, but without a phone of course, and used as as a space for a number of different art projects.

"It took quite a bit of effort and head scratching to get it out," said Alec. "We had to use sheer force. It was concreted in but had been disconnected."

The box will spend the next few week's in Alec's workshop on the harbour where he will work on it with other members of the arts community before being put back in place.

When the picture of the phone box being removed was posted on Facebook it prompted some consternation and concern.

Jacqueline Scott said: "Used to be our lifeline back in the day. We have no mobile and our rental property had no landline. Don't take it away."

While Jane Ord said: "I’ve queued outside the phone box many a time when we first holidayed in the 1980s."

  • What are your memories of the Porthleven Telephone box? Let us know in the comments below.