K2 Telephone Box Prototype
the very first red phone box
The original wooden prototype of Britain's beloved red phone box, tucked under an archway at the Royal Academy.
Free to visit · Piccadilly · Piccadilly Circus · W1J 0BD
Opening: Courtyard archway open daytime
Tucked beneath the entrance archway to the Royal Academy on Piccadilly stands the granddaddy of one of Britain's most iconic objects, the original 1924 prototype of the K2 telephone box designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Unlike the cast-iron boxes that followed, this one is made of wood, painted a quieter shade, the design from which tens of thousands of red phone boxes descended.
Most visitors hurrying into the galleries pass it without a glance. It is free to see, a lovely piece of design history standing exactly where the winning entry was once displayed for judging, the ancestor of an enduring national symbol.
Getting there: Under the entrance archway of the Royal Academy on Piccadilly, near Piccadilly Circus.
Best time to go: Daytime, when the Royal Academy courtyard is open.
Insider tip: It is under the archway leading into the Royal Academy courtyard, so you can see it for free without an exhibition ticket. Note it is wooden and a softer colour than the familiar cast-iron red boxes it inspired.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide