The Forest Hill Society has a new (tiny) home

We’re moving in! The Forest Hill Society are now the proud guardians of the traditional red phone box / kiosk outside The Capitol on London Road.

The London Road red phone box

The process actually started with the closure of the kiosk on Devonshire Road that was being used as a library. We thought it was a great idea and a lovely community service, but unfortunately BT did not agree as this was still, technically, their property. We did try to find out who was responsible for that library, and if that was you or you know who it was, then please do get in touch! Sadly, without that contact, there did not seem much point trying to get involved at this stage, but it got us thinking about the other local kiosks, including the one on London Road. 

We started researching this and decided it was a good idea to try to make something of this kiosk, but it was a long process. Anyone who wants to adopt one of these kiosks becomes responsible for its maintenance as well, and so BT will only deal with local authorities or charity organisations. We are incredibly grateful for the support of Simon Higgs and Calico Projects, who already run the community libraries, who stepped in to be our sponsor. The Society will fund the work to repair and maintain this kiosk for the future, and Calico will assist with the administration.

However, we still don’t know exactly what we might do to make the most of this opportunity. Over the years, these old kiosks have been transformed into many things, from libraries to coffee shops, and now we are looking for your ideas of how we could best use this location to make Forest Hill a better place to live and visit.

Maybe an art gallery, showcasing local artists? A tourist information point? A “history listening booth”? A mini, private cinema (sponsors would be required)?

While our funds are limited, we may have the chance to get some sponsorship of this from local businesses (if you are interested, please get in touch).

Now, we’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions. We are gathering these on the local community forum at se23.rocks

Once we’ve gathered your ideas, as well as our own, we will look to get feedback on the best (and most practical) ideas, and maybe get more of the members involved in making it happen.