William Arnold, a 43-year-old artist and photographer, drove about 1,700 miles round trip to the Isle of Lewis to place 52 calls from a rare double‑door phone box in Einacleit to meet Ofcom's annual requirement and keep it active. Using roughly £36 in coins, he completed the calls in under two hours amid 45 mph winds, heavy rain and water pooling on the kiosk floor. Arnold began campaigning in 2022 after finding a dead line in a preserved 1980s BT booth and argues some payphones remain vital lifelines where mobile coverage fails.
Artist Drives 1,700-Mile Round Trip To Make 52 Calls And Save Rare Double‑Door Phone Box
Man makes 1,700-mile round journey to save rare phone box on Scottish island
William Arnold, a 43-year-old artist and photographer, drove roughly 1,700 miles (2,735 km) round trip from Cornwall to the Isle of Lewis to place 52 separate calls from a remote public telephone kiosk in Einacleit (also known as Enaclete). His goal: meet the Ofcom requirement that a payphone record at least 52 calls a year in order to remain in service.
Why the Journey Mattered
Arnold began campaigning to preserve rural payphones in 2022 after finding a pristine 1980s yellow British Telecom booth on Lewis with a dead line when he needed to ring home. That experience sparked a wider effort to keep essential lines working in places where mobile coverage is unreliable or non-existent.
The Einacleit Kiosk
The Einacleit telephone box appealed to Arnold because it appears to be the UK's last connected double‑door kiosk — a local adaptation designed to withstand the island's strong winds, where a single door had once been judged unsafe. Before his arrival the booth had been freshly repainted, its doors closed, and a sign declaring 'emergency calls only'.
The 52 Calls
Using roughly £36 in 50p and 20p coins, Arnold made 52 calls to 52 different people over just under two hours despite driving rain, 45 mph winds and around an inch and a half of water pooling on the kiosk floor. Some calls were brief, others turned into longer conversations when people phoned back. He telephoned Crowdfunder donors who had backed the project and a handful of additional contacts to reach the required tally.
'The project is slightly ridiculous and comedic,' Arnold said, 'but there is also a serious point about how we communicate and how these phone boxes can serve as vital rural lifelines.'
Context And Concerns
Last year BT reviewed 47 payphones across the Western Isles and earmarked 42 for removal. A company spokesperson said about 9,000 public payphones remain operational in the UK — down from roughly 20,000 two years ago — and that maintaining the network costs millions annually, which limits investment in broadband and mobile networks.
Arnold acknowledges the commercial pressures but argues that a small number of working booths provide important public-safety backstops during extreme weather or power outages. He hopes local residents will take up the simple task of making 52 calls annually to keep the Einacleit kiosk active, while continuing to campaign for formal protections for historically or operationally significant boxes.
How He Confirmed The Line
Finding live phone boxes proved challenging; Arnold relied on local knowledge and a community Facebook page to confirm the booth was connected and accessible before making the trip. He reported faults to BT when he encountered dead lines, but his focus remains on preserving functional payphones that could be vital in emergencies.
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