Telephone boxes

The good thing about the iconic red call boxes in London, and throughout the United Kingdom at the time, was that when the door was closed, the traffic sounds were shut out, and you could hear the person on the end of the line.

The pips when your money was running out on the call were, however, one of the most annoying components of leisure life. That, and the challenge, sometimes, of finding a phone that was actually working.

The inside of the call boxes was also an ideal place for business card advertising, and many shady operators used this tactic to promote their wares.

Nor were the call boxes particularly hygienic, and more often than not they smelled. Probably less so in the shopping areas, like Tottenham Court Road.