This isn’t your usual Instagram photo guide. It’s a Northamptonshire Red Telephone Box photo guide.
Did you know, the red telephone box was designed by a fella called Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and is not only a familiar sight to see in the United Kingdom, but can also be seen in Malta, Bermuda, and Gibraltar.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I love taking photos of random telephone boxes in the area or standing in front of one and I have always been one to embrace my local surroundings. We are constantly seeing social media “influencers” (god, I hate that word) and bloggers constantly shooting in highly popular and over-saturated locations in places like London.
But as you know, I want to put Northamptonshire on the map and so I’ve collected a series of instagrammable locations that include the famous, British red telephone box.
But there is more reason to this blog post than just “somewhere pretty to snap Instagram photos”. It was recently reported that BT is asking the Northampton community to ‘adopt’ their telephone boxes otherwise 15 or more could be axed before Christmas!
I know we are all into modern technology nowadays what with iPhones and other smartphones dominating the phone market, but there is something so unique and special about red telephone boxes that would be heartbreaking to see disappear.
Currently, there are 15 in review to be removed in Northampton and I don’t want to see this happen – I get that they have to fund them being able to work, but can’t we just enjoy this British tradition a bit longer and mark them as historic landmarks?
That’s why we are seeing a lot turn into libraries and other quirky attractions, such as the one in Paulerspury and Great Oxendon (see below)
It’s a shame that over recent years, we have seen less and less of them, but luckily we are not too short of them here in Northamptonshire and there’s something about them that I am just so attracted to – hence why I always take photos of them!
I was inspired by my lovely friend, Katie’s, blog post who originated and wrote the Locations for Blogger Photos in Northamptonshire blog post and although we chatted about it and she gave me full permission to write my own, I wanted to give it a twist.
So here’s some of Northamptonshire’s most instagrammable locations featuring the red telephone box:
- Wood Hill, Northampton
- Blisworth
- Towcester Town Centre
- Great Oxendon
- Highgate House Hotel
- Hulcote
- Guildhall Road, Northampton
- Paulerspury village
Wood Hill, Northampton
If you’ve been into Northampton town and walked past Nando’s and All Saints Church, you will definitely have seen the three red telephone boxes standing in a row.
They have to be the most snapped telephone boxes in Northampton, apart from the ones on Guildhall Road (more on that below). But that area itself with the red telephone boxes, makes for a pretty area with the rustic benches, hanging trees and the old church wall with a stunning view of the church itself.
I’ve found myself taking numerous snaps in this location and I’ve even found myself stepping into the telephone boxes for photoshoots.
Find it opposite Nando’s Northampton.
Blisworth
Blisworth has to be one of the most picturesque villages in Northamptonshire, full of beautiful, old cottages with hanging vines and leaves, a stunning canal river with canal boats going pass daily and not to mention the famous annual Blisworth Canal Festival.
But there is one red telephone box in particular that has grasped my attention and I believe (unless I’m wrong) it’s the only singular one in the village.
It stands around 12 High Street on the main pathway, though it’s right outside someone’s cottage, it’s not going to affect you if you want to take a quick snap. Just be aware that behind you is a busy main road!
But judging from where I was taking the photo, there is plenty of room to take a snap whether you stand next to it or you’re like me who just had a weird fascination with all things red telephone boxes.
Read more: 5 Summer Festivals in Northamptonshire
Towcester Town Centre
Another prime location for a red telephone box photo – right opposite the town hall in Towcester town centre.
There’s two which stand proudly outside of the Post Office and depending on whether you want both or just one, there’s a great amount of space to take a snap by them.
Whatever you decide, you can get an epic view of the town hall behind you with one telephone box, a street view going down Watling Street with the other, or why not both if you’re feeling super ambitious!
Great Oxendon
A teeny, tiny village that you may or may know is located in the district of Daventry in Northamptonshire, but it has a pretty unique red telephone box that I literally made Josh stop and park up for when I spotted it on the way back from Market Harborough.
This isn’t just any red telephone box though. Upon getting a closer look, we discovered that inside it had it’s very own book swap section – FULL OF BOOKS!
I was sad I didn’t have a book on me to hand to do a swap, but I love finding these quirky telephone boxes that have more to them than meets the eye.
It’s a great little location for a photo snap if you’re driving around. You can find it on Main Street, just off the A508 Harborough Road.
Read more: Navigating Market Harborough
Highgate House Hotel
You don’t have to be a guest of Highgate House Hotel to come and take a snap of this red telephone box!
I was lucky enough to be recently invited for Afternoon Tea at Highgate House and as my mum and I were walking around their stunning grounds, my eyes caught a glimpse of the unused red telephone box, standing proudly and away from the crowds = perfect photo opportunity!
What’s great is, it’s not completely in the middle of the ground, so you’re not going to feel too embarrassed! You’ve got plenty of room around you and it makes for a beautiful shot for the ‘gram!
Find Highgate House at Grooms Ln, Creaton, Northampton NN6 8NN.
Read more: Birthday Afternoon Tea at Highgate House
Hulcote
This is a location hardly anyone knows about, but it’s tucked away next to Towcester, just behind the A43 and is an estate village attached to Easton Neston, the great house near Towcester that was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor (they even named a Primary school after him!)
Hulcote is a very small, but picturesque village with lots of historic cottages, chequered buildings with gothic glass windows and in Hulcote sits the only red telephone box there to date.
It’s situated next to an old building, which used to be the old school building on the west side of the village green which is surrounded by the rest of the houses. You can make your way around the whole village easily in 20 minutes, so it’s worth a cheeky snap in this remote location where no crowds will wander.
Guildhall Road, Northampton
If you haven’t seen the two red telephone boxes standing on Guildhall Road, right opposite the Guildhall itself – where have you been!?
This has to be my MOST snapped location in the shire. I even went here for an all embarrassing, but rewarding 25th birthday shoot where I dragged my brother down just to take a photo of me with some inflatable giant number balloons – that was dedication for the gram!
But whether you’re just looking for a nice snap of Northampton, or you’re looking for something colourful to feature in your photoshoot for the gram, it makes for a great location and if you wait long enough, you’ll be able to get a shot without any people in it!
Paulerspury village
Another hidden gem in the picturesque village of Paulerspury!
It’s a stone’s throw away from where I live, but I had no idea these existed until I heard on the grapevine and had to check them out – during lockdown, the two here were a godsend for one particular reason…
They are telephone box librabries! It was a great place to swap books in during the pandemic, as I always had something to read!
I posted a reel on my Instagram which people went a bit mad for and even Matt did a photoshoot there the next day!
You can find two located in Paulerspury, one by Paulerspury Village Hall and the other in the centre of the village.
So please, if you see a red telephone box in a cute village, or in a town centre somewhere in Northamptonshire, send it my way! I am thinking of incorporating it in some way into some blog branding or something!
And even if we are not using these red telephone boxes, let’s keep their legacy and historic purpose alive by just appreciating them a bit more.
Are you a fan of Red Telephone Boxes? Let me know where else I can spot them!
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
There’s one in the centre of the village of Dodford near Daventry.