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1960s 'police box' in city centre opens to public

Hayley CoyleSheffield
News imageHayley Coyle/BBC A vintage light blue and white police car is parked in a city square beside market stalls and stone buildings. The vehicle has “POLICE” written in large dark blue letters on the door. A tall purple flag next to the car promotes the National Emergency Services Museum. In the background, people browse stalls beneath a purple canopy, and a small green kiosk displays a sign reading “Discover Sheffield's Changing City Centre.” Street signs on the stone building include “Surrey Street.” The scene appears to be part of a public event or exhibition, with the historic police vehicle displayed prominently in the foreground.Hayley Coyle/BBC
The green boxes acted as "mini stations" for South Yorkshire Police officers

A mint-green police box used by officers as a "mini station" to make calls and file paperwork until the 1960s has been opened to the public.

The box, built in 1928, is located on Surrey Street in Sheffield and was one of 120 dotted around the city. They also had blue electric lamp on top, which stations could light up to signal that an officer on patrol needed to answer the phone for an urgent message.

As part of Heritage Open Days, the box is open until Saturday alongside a vintage Morris Minor police car and various policing items from that era.

A spokesperson said: "There's quite a lot of interest to finally see it - and it is exactly what it would have been like inside."

News imageHayley Coyle/BBC A mint-green historic police box stands on a paved city-centre street against a stone building. Above the doorway, a blue sign reads “South Yorkshire Police.” The police box door is open, revealing a small interior space. Beside it, a large information panel titled “Discover Sheffield’s changing city centre” includes text, images and a section labelled “Cycling.” A street sign reading “Surrey Street” is mounted on the stone wall above. The scene appears to be part of a public heritage display, with the preserved police box and informational signage as the main focus.Hayley Coyle/BBC
The box is open to the public and is in the exact same condition as when it was used

Patrick Coleman, curator at the National Emergency Services Museum, also said even though most police boxes were phased out in the 1960s, several former South Yorkshire Police officers who had visited said they remember using it "a lot later than that for filling out paperwork".

The box contains a shelf and has room for a chair and also has a small hatch so that officers could speak to the public if needed.

Coleman said there had also been a lot of interest in the "iconic car".

"You see them in a lot of old police cop shows and things like that.

"It dates from the 60s as well and that particular car comes from Bristol and served there.

News imageBBC/Hayley Coyle A person wearing glasses, a green jacket and a staff lanyard stands outside a historic mint-green police box with an open door. Above the entrance, a blue sign reads “South Yorkshire Police.” Beside the police box, a large information panel titled “Discover Sheffield’s changing city centre” contains text and images about local developments, including cycling infrastructure. The police box and sign are set against a stone building façade, with the heritage structure and information display forming the main focus of the image.BBC/Hayley Coyle
Patrick Coleman, curator at National Emergency Services Museum, said the box is an important part of history

"It's important to show how the city used to be policed - and it's nice to draw attention to something that is familiar and yet people don't really think about."

The museum is organising the open days and staffing the "pop-up" exhibition of police memorabilia.

The Grade II-listed box is now owned and maintained by Sheffield City Council.

The legendary Tardis from Dr Who was also a police box and there is also a famous blue Metropolitan Police one at Earl's Court in London.

Heritage Open Days, in partnership with the National Trust, takes place every September with thousands of free events and experiences available across England.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North