I visited it about a year ago and found it quite a sad sight; that crack is especially worrying. I do think that the scarf painted on it encourages the graffiti!

I wonder whether there's any chance of encouraging the council to do something. (Or perhaps some ReBuilder types should just go along there in overalls and tidy it up while Trying to Look Official...)

Yes its looks very sorry for its self as you can probably tell from these pics

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I was thinking of asking Newport council to do something about it but because I'm only 14 i doubt they'll listen

Tom.m

I love the enthusiastic 'first sight of it through the car windscreen' shot!

On the one hand, the worrying thing about pestering the council is that they could declare the box a hazard and demolish it, which is what happened to the other Newport box in 2003. On the other hand... it does seem to be demolishing itself in any case - I don't think that lump of concrete was missing from the roof last year.

Quote from: tommilner board=policebox thread=1154455075 post=1154457476I was thinking of asking Newport council to do something about it but because I'm only 14 i doubt they'll listen

It can be surprising what one dedicated person can accomplish.

If you have the energy and interest in this project, write up a report about the box (the history of Police Boxes in general and this one in particular).  You may be able to get school credit for this (ask your teachers).  It's important to note in your report how few boxes are left.  The better you do your research, the more seriously you'll be taken.  If you can actually track down a former police officer who used the box, that'd really be something.

Go to the news media (newspapers, radio, television).  I don't know what the news media is like out there, but in Canada they love this kind of thing "local boy tries to preserve historical artifact".  Make sure to comment on the problem of graffiti.  There will be some with the thought "here's a decent young man trying to make a positive change in our community - we should encourage him" even if they don't feel anything particular about the box.  The fact that you're doing something instead of sitting in front of a video game says a lot.

Present this report to the council and recommend that they set aside some funds to help restore this local historical artifact.  If the news media is behind you, it's less likely that the council will do anything that would make them appear to be "the bad guy".

Don't be discouraged if nothing happens right away.  It can take a lot of time and effort to get everything going, but if you look I'm sure you'll be able to find others in your area who will be willing to help.  Even if you don't succeed, you'll have learned an awful lot of interesting things in the process.

Colin

Well this one's not even a listed building, as far as I can tell (it looks like the one that was removed was a Grade II). Perhaps a museum would buy it off the council and restore it. Avoncroft springs to mind...

EDIT: Overlapped posting with Colin again - I'd try his idea first...

Crispin

well may be one day

i had an idea that St Fagans National History Museum (http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/) in cardiff could buy it they love stuff like that but its in such a bad state i dont know if they would even consider it

Tom.m

Tom, it took four to five years to get the Crich Police Box done, with me harrassing them almost weekly until the local council realised that I wasn't going away and that it WAS their job to liaise with the Tramway and Ward Westwater and get the box restored.

I think you'd be a VERY good young spokeman for the Newport box - go for it... save your local history and get yourself started on your Police Box Crusade.

Being from Cardiff, the home of new Doctor Who, I have no doubt the BBC there would adore the publicity you and the Box would give the show... ;-)

I'm currently campagning to restore my local red telephone box - it really has seen better days, and although it's not the worst box i've seen, it's pink and the paint is chipping and the door is rotting.

well im will be on holiday for 2 weeks now

but when i get back ill send them an e mail asking if they have any plans to do any thing about it and if not why not.

tom.m

also i have found this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/3602007.stm

turns out it is a listed building
well thats another reson why they should do something

tom.m

Sound fellow - go on, you can save the box by the Sorvan Method!

Here's the roof almost exactly a year ago and you can see just how NOT missing that lump of concrete was:

well befor i send this email i want to include a befor and after pic

obviously i have the after pic but dose any one have a pic from befor.

Tom.m

Well the decline has clearly been gradual and it doesn't seem to have changed much since my only visit last year, but there's a picture of it looking a little less sad on Bob Freshwater's website (if you don't know it, google for 'Bob's Telephone File').

ehmm sorry to reactivate old posts but were in Newport is this tardis ? i only live in Barry south wales and would love to see it

It's on the south side of the A48, about a mile and a half west of junction 24 of the M4... if it's still there - I read recently that it's been demolished (though it's possible that the writer just couldn't find it).