Description

CANNINGTON

435/0/10011 HIGH STREET
29-OCT-10 K6 TELEPHONE KIOSK

II
K6 telephone kiosk

DESCRIPTION: The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in door and sides and with the crowns situated on the top panels being applied not perforated. There are rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath the shallow-curved roof. It has modernised internal equipment. It is in very good condition (2009).

The kiosk stands in the centre of the village in front of the Grade II listed Henry Rogers Almshouse and between a bus shelter and the entrance path to Cannington College. On the opposite side of the street, 30m to the south, stands Ruscombe House (Grade II). There is an unlisted war memorial 40m to the east and another Grade II listed building, 1 Fore Street, 30m further east. The telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with the Almshouse and Ruscombe House.

HISTORY: The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. The K6 was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 for the General Post Office, on the occasion of King George V's Silver Jubilee. The K6 was a development from his earlier highly successful K2 telephone kiosk design of 1924, of Neo-classical inspiration. The K6 was more streamlined aesthetically, more compact and more cost-effective to mass produce. Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960) was one of the most important of modern British architects; his many celebrated commissions include the Anglican cathedral of Liverpool and Battersea power station. The K2 and K6 telephone kiosks can be said to represent a very thoughtful adaptation of architectural tradition to contemporary technological requirements. Well over 70,000 K6s were eventually produced. In the 1960s many were replaced with far plainer kiosk types. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The K6 telephone kiosk in Cannington, Somerset is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* This telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with two listed buildings
* It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk in Cannington, Somerset is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* This telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with two listed buildings
* It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26674437

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings