A GROUP of villagers in the North York Moors have restored an iconic British symbol in their village to its former glory.

The red phone box in Oswaldkirk may no longer work, but in all other essentials, it now looks exactly as it did in 1936.

Parish meeting chairman David Badham said: “If we hadn’t bought the phone box, BT would have just taken it away and we would have lost a bit of the village’s character.

“We are delighted with how it has gone. A project like this bring the community together. You talk to people you would never have spoken to otherwise, and in 18 months there’s a lot of talking.”

The community bought the phone box for a nominal £1 fee when BT decommissioned it, and decided to make it a retro tribute to the celebrated architect behind the iconic design, who has some remarkable links to the area.

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed the K6 phone box in 1936.

He is most famous for his work on Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station, but also worked on the new church at nearby Ampleforth Abbey and on extensions to the Junior House and Ampleforth College.

The work has been funded by a grant from the North York Moors National Park, but the hard work was done by volunteers in the village.