Historic Doncaster phone box re-opens as book and seed exchange
An historic Doncaster phone box has a new lease of life as a seed and book exchange
A disused former telephone box in Doncaster has been given a new calling as a community book and seed exchange.
The familiar landmark on Main Street, Sprotbrough has been transformed into a village resource for sharing stories and growing ideas, offering free books and packets of seeds.
It’s all thanks to a joint project between Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Council and volunteers from the Don Gorge Community Group (DGCG).
The parish council purchased the box for just £5 from British Telecom and following discussions with City of Doncaster Council’s conservation team agreed a new lease of life for it.
“The suggestion to turn it into the Sprotbrough Book and Seed Exchange came from one of the DGCG volunteers and we quickly gave it our support, said Coun Tony Nicholson, Chair of Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Council, at the official launch ceremony.
“We are grateful to Peter Jones and Alex Brolly, from the DCGG, who carried out the internal conversion. It’s a brilliant new community asset and a great example of heritage reuse.”
The thinking behind the open-all-hours exchange is to ‘take a book and leave one when you can’ A list of dos and don’ts has been pinned inside, including a request to only donate books in a good, clean condition, with no missing pages and a plea not to leave them on the kiosk floor, or outside.
Free packets of wildflower seeds can also be found on one of the shelves, supporting the parish council’s new Bee Squared initiative to create habitats
for local bees and insects. More information can be found on the website www.sprotbroughandcusworthparishcouncil.gov.uk
The kiosk is designated a listed building on the Government’s national planning database, meaning it is of special interest and legally protected. Specifically, it is a K6 style, complete with domed roof and crown crest, and believed to be designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in the 1930s.