Just for fun I looked at Wiki to see what they had to say. What is particularly cool about the entry is the mention of other top British top 10 design icons. I have always loved the design of the Concorde and saw one on the tarmac at Orly Airport, France and also was able to go inside one at Seattle's Museum of Flight while Jim was slaving away in some university library.
Red telephone box
The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar.
Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, the traditional British red telephone kiosk can still be seen in many places throughout the UK, and in current or former British colonies around the world. The colour red was chosen to make them easy to spot.
From 1926 onwards, the fascias of the kiosks were emblazoned with a prominent crown, representing the British government. The red phone box is often seen as a British cultural icon throughout the world.[1] In 2006 the K2 telephone box was voted one of Britain's top 10 design icons, which included the Mini, Supermarine Spitfire, London tube map, World Wide Web, Concorde and the AEC Routemaster bus.[2][3] Although production of the traditional boxes ended with the advent of the KX series in 1985, many still stand in Britain.
Interesting link to the "top 10 design icons"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/27/culture.shtml:
And my beloved Concorde. Quite a contrast in design and function.
