Old phone box converted to 'world's smallest library'

The village won £500 in a BT competition for original use of a phone box

A village near Wells has made unusual use of an old phone box by converting it into possibly the country's - if not the world's - smallest mobile library.

As phone boxes are no longer used, BT gave Westbury-sub-Mendip the option of either having the box reinstalled, removed or they could buy it for £1.

The village opted for the latter and after a tea party was held, the idea to turn it into a library was decided on.

Bob Dolby from the parish council said he was thrilled with it.

He initially they did not know what to do with the phone box.

"The box looked empty, it looked a little bit sad and desolate," he said.

The 'ground floor' of the library is for children's books

When people found out that BT were holding a national competition for creative uses of the phone boxes, it gave them the incentive to search out ideas as to what could be done to convert the empty kiosk.

The only stipulation was it had to be useful to the community.

"Someone had the idea of converting the kiosk into a shower, but that was felt to be a little bit too public; it could have been used as an information point with a map of the village and the other thought was to convert it into a greenhouse but then one of my neighbours had a brilliant idea," said Bob.

Resident Janet Fisher said: "At the tea party we were all mulling over the idea of what might happen to the phone box and I just had the idea that it could be a book exchange.

"We used to have a mobile library here which called once a week on a Monday, but that ceased a few months ago so it was missed and we're all readers around here, have a reading group in the village.

"It just appealed; it certainly appealed to me."