British Telephone Box

The iconic red London telephone boxes were first introduced in the UK in 1924 and were gradually installed in other countries as well. They were equipped with a public telephone housed in a prefabricated box, featuring a coin- and card-operated phone inside.

Sardinian Brick Builder Maurizio Lampis decided to design his very own version, staying true to the classic English design and building a life-sized 1:1 scale model made with a staggering 100,000 LEGO bricks. To complete the scene, he added a traditional lamppost with a lightbulb, creating an atmosphere worthy of the best depictions of a foggy winter London.

Why take on such a unique project? Because British phone boxes turned 100 years old. Designed by British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, they represented a technological innovation and a symbol of modernity during the interwar period. Today, they remain one of the most recognizable symbols of the UK and its image abroad.

They’re frequently photographed by tourists, appear in souvenir snapshots, and are printed on postcards and fridge magnets just as often as double-decker buses. Though no longer widely used for making calls, many are still operational and in some cases protected as part of the national heritage.

This is where Maurizio’s unusual idea took shape: to build one entirely out of LEGO bricks — a project that may very well be the only one of its kind in the world, aside from the version on display at the LEGO Store in London.

The build took four months of work, and the final model measures 95 cm x 95 cm with a height of 238 cm. Inside, it even includes a phone with a coin slot and phone card reader.