Somerton TARDIS
Encyclopedia
The Somerton TARDIS is a police box
on Chepstow Road in the Somerton
area of Newport
, South Wales
. The police box is the only remaining one of four that were in Newport and it is a Grade II listed building. Police boxes were deployed in the UK as a police
telephone communications point prior to public and mobile phones being widely available. The Somerton police box has a lamp fixing on top which would flash to indicate an incoming call.
The first UK police boxes were deployed in 1888 with the familiar 'TARDIS' shape first appearing in 1929. UK Police discontinued use of such boxes by 1969.
The Somerton Police box became known in Newport as the TARDIS
as a reference to the television series Doctor Who
, in which the Doctor's time machine appears as a Police box due to its chameleon circuit being stuck. During the 1980s local residents painted a long multi-coloured scarf
on the blue police box as worn by the fourth Doctor
, played by actor Tom Baker
1974–1981.
The earliest UK police boxes were of wooden construction but the Somerton box is a concrete construction. Consequently it deteriorated over the years, largely due to concrete cancer
. In January 2010 a grant of £10,500 was allocated by Cadw
to restore the structure as a recognition of its importance as a local landmark.
Police box
A police box is a British telephone kiosk or callbox located in a public place for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police...
on Chepstow Road in the Somerton
Somerton, Newport
Somerton is a neighbourhood in the south-east of Newport. The northern half of the area is located in the Alway ward with the southern half in the Liswerry ward – The two halves being separated by the Great Western Main Line...
area of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. The police box is the only remaining one of four that were in Newport and it is a Grade II listed building. Police boxes were deployed in the UK as a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
telephone communications point prior to public and mobile phones being widely available. The Somerton police box has a lamp fixing on top which would flash to indicate an incoming call.
The first UK police boxes were deployed in 1888 with the familiar 'TARDIS' shape first appearing in 1929. UK Police discontinued use of such boxes by 1969.
The Somerton Police box became known in Newport as the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
as a reference to the television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, in which the Doctor's time machine appears as a Police box due to its chameleon circuit being stuck. During the 1980s local residents painted a long multi-coloured scarf
Scarf
A scarf is a piece of fabric worn around the neck, or near the head or around the waist for warmth, cleanliness, fashion or for religious reasons. They can come in a variety of different colours.-History:...
on the blue police box as worn by the fourth Doctor
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
, played by actor Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
1974–1981.
The earliest UK police boxes were of wooden construction but the Somerton box is a concrete construction. Consequently it deteriorated over the years, largely due to concrete cancer
Concrete cancer
Concrete cancer is a colloquial name for the deterioration of concrete caused by the presence of contaminants or the action of weather combined with atmospheric properties. While often used in the context of the rusting of concrete reinforcement bar , the term can equally be applied to any number...
. In January 2010 a grant of £10,500 was allocated by Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
to restore the structure as a recognition of its importance as a local landmark.
External links
- A famous blue police box is saved from destruction by Doctor Who fans The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
- Wales "Tardis" given £10,000 News Wales
- Kiosk Korner Police Box page – shows a photo of the Somerton TARDIS