The four bright red telephone boxes in Market Square will be a familiar sight to anyone who shops or socialises in Stafford.

However, most people are likely unaware of the phone boxes' historical legacy.

The K6 telephone kiosks were first installed in 1936, to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V.

Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, over 60,000 phone boxes were produced; however, today only around 3,400 survive. 

Scott also designed Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral and Bankside Power Station (now Tate Modern).

The K6 is generally thought to be the most famous style of telephone box ever to exist although it was actually the sixth version of the kiosk, hence the name.

According to The Design Museum: "The phone box was introduced by the Post Office to increase communication around the country, and they were not just used in the UK, but in Bermuda, Malta and Gibraltar as well!

"They were originally painted red so that they were easy to spot, but a lot of people complained about them when they first arrived on our streets, saying that they stood out like a sore thumb!"

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By the 1980s, many of the phone boxes were replaced by more modern designs.

In 2008, BT launched the Adopt a Kiosk programme which allowed communities, parish councils and charities to buy K6 phone boxes for just £1.

Many of the kiosks have been repurposed as book exchanges or are used to house defibrillators. 

To find out more about listed buildings in Stafford, click here.