The Time Tardis

This iconic red K6 phone box from the 1930s is no longer in operation. Instead of picking up a phone, visitors can step into an art installation celebrating the history of Ormskirk, West Lancashire.

A set of silver wings sit on top of the red booth. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Artist Julie James-Turner worked with communities members via Zoom, coordinating the creation of a series of small dioramas as part of the community arts project "Once Upon a Town."

A small plaque on the booth's side labels it "TIME TARDIS 2021," referencing the fictional time machines and spacecrafts from the British TV show "Doctor Who." A panel of text on one side explains is origin; "It is prophesized that in the year 2021, in a Lancashire town know as Ormskirk, visitors will experience a strange phenomenon where the town's past, present, and future collide."

Inside the booth, dioramas depicting the history of Ormskirk, including one that commemorates the town's World Wars veterans. Another celebrates the town's gingerbread baking traditions, a trade that dates back several centuries in the area.