By Ian Garland

PUBLISHED: 13:09 EST, 21 June 2012 | UPDATED: 13:24 EST, 21 June 2012


At first glance it looks like a great British icon has taken on a life of its own.

Dozens of old fashioned telephone boxes have appeared across London - but with a dramatic twist.

The traditional red kiosks have been accessorised, recoloured and transformed by artists in a project to celebrate children's charity ChildLine's 25th birthday.

The Artboxes were showcased in Trafalgar Square before being scattered at various locations around London

The Artboxes were showcased in Trafalgar Square before being scattered at various locations around London

A giraffe nibbles on foliage in Benjamin Shine's creation London Distance. Right: A box on a box

Left: Ring Ring for Britain, created by fashion chain Accessorize. Right: Bert Gilbert's padded Cell Phone Box

There are 86 of the bedazzled boxes in total, each one adapted from its original state by artists including Sir Peter Blake, model Liy Cole and designers Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes, Philip Treacy and Julien Macdonald.

As well as marking the charity's birthday, the project is a celebration of the humble phonebox, which played an important role in ChildLine's conception.

Esther Rantzen, the charitys founder, explained: 'It's fantastic to meet some of the creative and outstandingly talented artists involved in the BT ArtBox project this evening.

'In ChildLine's early years  the public telephone box played a crucial role in enabling abused and neglected children to ring ChildLine safely and reach the help they so desperately needed.'

Speaking at gala to launch Artbox in London last night, Mrs Rantzen added: ' I'm thrilled that beautifully decorated phoneboxes will play there part again today  liberating desperate children, since the proceeds from the sale of the boxes will go to support the work of ChildLine, enabling us to help many more children and young people.'

The boxes have been scattered across the capital, where they will stay on display until July 16.

Shiny: Ted Baker created a bling box, left, while Harvey Nichols dreamed up a kiosk that 'celebrates the style and eccentric glamour of Knightsbridge

The BT Artbox is a campaign to celebrated 2012. All of the boxes will be auction off at a later date to raise money for ChildLines 25th anniversary.

Artists Rob & Nick Carter's stained glass ArtBox is an illumintated spectrum of multicolours

Left: Lidia de Pedro and Fee Fee La Fou's spectacular circus-themed box. Right: The Cure - a 'Dark and brooding' creation from The Prodigy MC MM