Once a familiar sight on streets up and down the country, the red phone box has become an iconic symbol of a time gone by.

But now, a Huntingdonshire village which has turned its phone box into a library is calling for more people to stop by and share their literary loves.

BT disconnected the facility in Upwood High Street three years ago, and it was then turned into a book exchange by the parish council.

Shelves were installed to display books and DVDs, with content from the classics to works on history, cooking, gardening, and more.

Esther Rowley, 66, of High Street and a member of a village book group, said: “There aren’t as many people using it as I would hope. I would like to drum up more interest - perhaps we could encourage other areas to do the same thing.

“It’s such a fabulous resource. It really helps us make new discoveries, and it’s great to know there are so many avid readers. And it is such fun to speculate on who in the village donated what.”

Robin Howe, chairman of Upwood and the Raveleys Parish Council, said: “It’s wonderful to see the community embrace the project. We wanted to keep the phone box as an iconic and nostalgic part of the village, but we didn’t want to watch it rust away as an obsolete object. “Turning it in to a book and DVD exchange has made it an important part of the village again. People can stop and chat about the weather over a novel by Dickens or the latest celebrity cookery book.”

INFORMATION: The Upwood Village Book Exchange can be found opposite St Peter’s Church and the Cross Keys pub. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can keep up to date with the latest stock through its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UpwoodBookExchange.