White Phone Boxes

Hull's distinctive cream-coloured phone boxes — a legacy of the city's independent telephone network

Cream-coloured K6 phone boxes still stand at intersections around Hull, and a handful are listed buildings. They are a quirk of the city's independent telecoms history — Hull was the only place in the UK to keep its phone network out of national hands when the GPO took over in 1912, and the cream livery is the visible legacy.

KCOM, the descendant company, still uses cream as its corporate colour. The boxes are scattered through the centre and the suburbs — the cluster outside the Trinity Market is the easiest to find. A few of the Hull boxes are now repurposed as defibrillator stations or tiny libraries.

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A story
When Britain nationalised its telephone networks in 1912, Hull was the only municipality that refused to hand over its operation. The city kept its own telephone company, KCOM, which continues to provide phone and broadband to most of the city today. As a result, Hull's boxes were painted cream rather than the GPO's red — the cream livery is now one of the city's most distinctive small details, especially to visitors used to the British red.