Village Phone Box

What is the Tolpuddle Phone Box Information Point?

BT no longer wished to retain the phone box by the Martyrs Museum. Rather than lose this attractive feature residents asked the Parish Council to ‘adopt’ it and a community use then be found for it. Throughout the country there have been hundreds of examples of conversions of the iconic K6 phone boxes – defibrillator housings, book stores, bicycle repair stations and art galleries are just a few. In Tolpuddle the defibrillator is located at the pub and the Church has a book stall so it was decided to convert it into a local information point.

There is a large map of the village (including Southover) showing features such as historical and archaeological sites and suggested walks. Also included is information about the occupations of villagers in the 17th and 19th centuries and beautiful local wildlife photos taken by Tolpuddle residents. Information regarding village events is also displayed. It is hoped that this will enhance the enjoyment of the area for both locals and visitors for many years to come.

The renovation was completed in early 2022 – the internal and external red paintwork, black base and gold crowns have been completely renovated a huge undertaking by one of our residents! The four plastic TELEPHONE panels have been replaced with smart glass INFORMATION panels. The main glass door and side panels have been removed, cleaned and replaced to include three panels with TOLPUDDLE INFORMATION signs. Internally, the Information Board and also holders for local event information have been fitted.

Many villagers contributed to the renovation project whether by the external refurbishment, drawing of the map, design of the information board or provision of the wildlife photographs. Their involvement is greatly appreciated

Local Walks

The Phone Box mentions local walks from the village, details of which have kindly been created by two Tolpuddle residents, Dave and Lynne. Details of these and their downloadable information sheets can be found on Our Local Area page by clicking here.