1936 Olympia Police Box

[markofrani]

Thought I'd share this wonderful picture I have of a very early Tardis type Police Box.
This might even have been a special mock-up version for the exhibition, possibly made of wood rather than concrete. Also the colour looks to be very light?

[mechanoid]

Thought I'd share this wonderful picture I have of a very early Tardis type Police Box.
This might even have been a special mock-up version for the exhibition, possibly made of wood rather than concrete. Also the colour looks to be very light?

I hadn't noticed it before(and I've looked at this picture many times!) but if you look above the woman's head there is a picture of a police box that is a lot darker and the window pane colours are very like the micro TARDIS range from Character!

[cardborduser]

a lot taller then the tardis

[lorisarvendu]

a lot taller then the tardis

Oh I don't know.  The windows are certainly the height I would expect when you compare them to the copper's head.  It's just the woman who's a bit on the petite side.

It looks far too smooth to be concrete, and I doubt if you could cast those roof signs that thin in anything but some form of plastic.

[flaming cog]

a lot taller then the tardis

and I doubt if you could cast those roof signs that thin in anything but some form of plastic.

Many WW2 items have thin glass with writing on them, for example many food storage bottles, and shop signs.

[lorisarvendu]

a lot taller then the tardis

and I doubt if you could cast those roof signs that thin in anything but some form of plastic.

Many WW2 items have thin glass with writing on them, for example many food storage bottles, and shop signs.

Oh no, I meant the sign boxes themselves.  They're very thin where they meet the corner posts.

[flaming cog]

Oh yes indeed they are 

I rather like the look of this old box, she really is a beauty. The pic in the backdrop shows the "call for assistance" sign on the normal place, but the box has it bellow. Anyone know why?

[lorisarvendu]

Oh yes indeed they are 

I rather like the look of this old box, she really is a beauty. The pic in the backdrop shows the "call for assistance" sign on the normal place, but the box has it bellow. Anyone know why?

I may be corrected on this, but I believe this is what those in the know refer to as a "Mk1" - the "phone" sign and the St John's sign are on the middle row of panels rather than the top.  This was the earlier type of box, before the layout we are most familiar with  - the Mk2, on which the TARDIS was based - became common.

[flaming cog]

But if the picture features a Mrk 1, and was released at the time of the Mrk 1 then why would there be a more recent one in the background, with signs on the top indents?

[lorisarvendu]

But if the picture features a Mrk 1, and was released at the time of the Mrk 1 then why would there be a more recent one in the background, with signs on the top indents?

Ah but this exhibition didn't take place at the same time as the MK1. 

As I understand it, the Mk1 became common around about 1929.  Yes, this was 1936 by which time the Mk2 was out on the streets (and a photograph of it on the wall), but for whatever reason the organisers of this exhibition chose to have a model based on the earlier design on display.  Right down to the signs being on the middle row of panels rather than the upper.  Maybe they asked for the original blueprints from the Met and got the MK1 box?  Actually come to think of it, when I wrote to the Metropolitan Police in the mid-1970s I got sent a photocopy of the original MK1 blueprints as well, with the phone sign on the panel below phone cabinet.  I've still got them too!

It's not an actual Mk1 because the roof sign boxes aren't deep enough, which was my earlier point - I doubt if you could make a roof sign that shallow out of concrete.  Anyway, practically speaking, why go to the whole trouble of casting a box in concrete just for a temporary display?  You're going to have to reinforce the floor where it's going to go.  You'll need a forklift to move it.  And what are you going to do with it afterwards?  Far easier to just cast one out of plastic or bakelite or whatever they had then.

[flaming cog]

Thanks for the info

Yes indeed, they would be crazy to cast this one in concrete.

[ironageman]

The original 1920s (Mk 1) boxes were timber on a concrete base, so I imagine that they brought one of those along (possibly the Hendon training one?) giving it a timber base for the exhibition. In the thirties they started making boxes in concrete instead, still with Mk 1 signage; of course, some timber boxes were still in service. Then the signage was updated on both timber and concrete boxes - on pictures of the Barnet box, you can just make out where the old telephone plaque was, below the telephone door.

** an afterthought - the lamp and signage changed gradually in the early years: and though one tends to think of Mk1 and Mk2 signage, I'd guess that the term 'Mk1' originally referred to timber Met boxes and 'Mk2' to the concrete ones. (I haven't checked, read or researched this, tho', so I wonder what others think.) **

[avadh]

That is just beautiful. The original police boxes can never be beaten.

[kiwidoc]

Very nice indeed.  I like the lock location, step at bottom of door and shiny (reflective!) paint work.

Permission to copy for TARDIS Library's eventual update...?

[Rassilons Rod]

Real Police Boxes always look rather too large to me... But maybe I'm just weird like that.

I mean look at her, wearing heals. Is she REALLY that short?

It is a rather splendid example though

-Marc