Summary

K6 telephone kiosk designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935

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. The kiosk has modernised internal equipment. One of the display signs above the door is missing but otherwise the kiosk is intact, retaining all its glass panes. It is located at the village crossroads and has a strong visual relationship with seven listed buildings, mostly late-C17 or early-C18 cottages built of coursed lias under thatched roofs.

History

The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. The K6 was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 for the General Post Office, on the occasion of King George V's Silver Jubilee. It 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. Sir 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 Listing

* Design: it is an iconic C20 industrial design by Giles Gilbert Scott
* Group Value: it has strong a visual relationship with seven Grade II listed buildings

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26675622

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

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  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Care and Repair
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  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
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  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
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  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings