K6 Telephone Kiosk, The Square, Witheridge, Devon

Entry Name: K6 Telephone Kiosk, The Square

Listing Date: 28 February 2012

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1407621

ID on this website: 101407621

Location: Witheridge, North Devon, EX16

County: Devon

District: North Devon

Civil Parish: Witheridge

Built-Up Area: Witheridge

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Witheridge with Creacombe

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

Tagged with: K6 telephone box

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. It has modernised internal equipment.

The kiosk is located beside a wall at the side of the main road through the village. The kiosk is near to a number of listed buildings and has a strong visual relationship with the Church of St. John the Baptist (Grade I), and the church gate piers, gates and railings (Grade II), approximately 25m to the north-west, and The Angel Inn (Grade II) and No. 3 The Square (Grade II) approximately 190m to the south-east.

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 Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk, The Square, Witheridge is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design
* Design: it is an iconic example of industrial design, showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of neoclassical forms for a modern technological function
* Group value: it sits in a prominent location in the village and has a visual relationship with more than three listed buildings

External Links

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.