Police Box Footage from Public Info Film

[Dalekoracle]

Tiny glimpse of one here:
http://youtu.be/Ho4QGBUAABA
28/29 seconds in, to the right of the centre of the frame. A frosty snow covered box.
(You'll need eagle eyes to spot it!)
Mark D

[meantimebob]

Found this pic on the retronaut site, can't remember seeing it before, but I'm probably mistaken and its here someplace. Anyway, I thought it was rather lovely. The only information is "A photograph of the making of a programme by the BBC about driving errors, taken by Saidman in 1939 for the Daily Herald."

[petewilson]

Wow...That's got to be the best photograph of an early box that's been out in the street for a few years.....Excellent!  :-)

[hb88banzai]

That is a fantastic photo!

As seen so often, they left the Transitional Mark 1 top signs in when they converted it to a Mark 2. Going to probably have to consider this type the Mark 2a, with the classic Mark 2 being the Mark 2b.

[hb88banzai]

Here is a blowup of the First Aid box next to the Met Box --



I read (speculation in parentheses),

FIRST
AID STATION

BARNET & DISTR(ICT)
POWER ?

Looks a bit like SOUTH, but then not (what looks like a T is where the H should be) - SCOUT maybe? Then something at the bottom.

So, possibly somewhere in the Barnet district.

[mordrogyn]

Definately says "Scout" the word before it could be Rover or Power hard to tell

[hb88banzai]

More info at the original source for the photo here:  http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/Collection/Photography/DailyHeraldArchive/CollectionItem.aspx?id=1983-5236/10097

An uncompressed .png version of the photo is there as well.

Per the info, the BBC program was shot on Barnet By-Pass. Almost certain it's not "The" Barnet By-Pass Box (S63) as the details in the background don't quite fit (though a lot could have changed between 1939 and 1980, I doubt the background topography would have changed THAT much).

There are, however, two OTHER Barnet By-Pass Boxes, one at Stirling Corner (S11) and one at Bignell's Corner (S65). The one at Stirling Corner appears most likely and seems to fit the photo fairly well, noting that in 1945 the central circle was quite a bit smaller. The photo very much looks like a busy corner/circle, and the paving in front of the Box with the traffic behind seems to match the area, right down to the raised area where the circle would be. Though the circle was smaller, the sidewalk was more or less in the same position as it is now (per Google Earth) and thus the green area between the sidewalk and the circle was wider. The same type of road barriers were in place as of a 1950s photo of another part of Stirling Corner as well.

If S11 is the place, here is the URL to the approximate Box Site:  http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Barnet+Road,+london+uk&hl=en&ll=51.643417,-0.255078&spn=0.001838,0.010182&sll=51.642098,-0.253029&sspn=0.065195,0.162907&hnear=E+Barnet+Rd&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=51.643417,-0.255084&panoid=V0IA8QEQeaTcGO6VkKgqjg&cbp=11,290.35,,0,12.14

[markofrani]

Interesting to see the use of bolts to reinforce the centre divide by the door, very similar to the Barnet box. Does anyone know if these were common to all the boxes? Also the fresnel lamp is once again clear. Were any of them blue, or with a blue filter?

[hb88banzai]

I noticed what looked like a reinforcing bolt, but if that's what it is it's in a different position than Barnet's. They don't appear to have been common, and was previously thought to be part of repair work done on the Barnet Box, but who knows. The scarcity of good photos like this one is a bit of a handicap in this regard. This does appear to be a Barnet type Box.

Evidence is that the early Met Police Boxes originally had a red filter inside the clear Fresnel. Anecdotal evidence from Officers that used them is that at least some Met Police Posts had blue lamps at some point.

[tony farrell]

This may have been mentioned before, but, something I didn't realise is that the lower glass panels appear to be tinted as well.

[Rassilons Rod]

Probably to stop people peering in. Sensitive chaps Police in those days

[domvar]

Here is a blowup of the First Aid box next to the Met Box --



I read (speculation in parentheses),

FIRST
AID STATION

BARNET & DISTR(ICT)
POWER ?

Looks a bit like SOUTH, but then not (what looks like a T is where the H should be) - SCOUT maybe? Then something at the bottom.

So, possibly somewhere in the Barnet district.

I think the bottom line says ROVER SCOUT

[hb88banzai]

This may have been mentioned before, but, something I didn't realise is that the lower glass panels appear to be tinted as well.

While the Trench plans specify "Neutral Tinted Glass", it appears they were actually Blue Tinted Glass like the Glasgow Boxes.

I think the bottom line says ROVER SCOUT

I agree... or perhaps the plural ROVER SCOUTS?

Wonder if there's any relation to these "Rover Scouts" --  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_Scout

[tony farrell]

Probably to stop people peering in. Sensitive chaps Police in those days

Actually Rassilonsrod- you're probably right!

The Police Boxes could be used as temporary gaols. A kind of temporary custody suite, though I dare say that the Police would have avoided detaining drunks. Think of the cleaning up and, in such a confined space, the smell.... Ah, I've just realised that's why the windows were hinged! 

Tony

[Rassilons Rod]

As a native Brit, Tony... I would imagine you're familiar with how terribly the old red phone boxes smelled... 9 times out of 10....