An iconic symbol of Britishness, these days the red telephone boxes found throughout the city may well have more use as a prop in tourist’s photos than for actually making phone calls. But where’s the oldest?

Nestled under the gateway into the Royal Academy of the Arts in Piccadilly sits a rather non-descript looking red telephone box.

Created in 1924, it is actually a prototype of the red phone boxes that later became ubiquitous across the country.

The phone box prototype was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, one of three architects who were asked to create designs for the boxes after the Post Office’s initial designs were apparently rejected.

Scott’s successful design is the only one of the three to survive and while it’s made of wood, the later boxes were made of cast iron and painted red for visibility.