Summary

A K6 telephone kiosk, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

Description

The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in the 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.

This kiosk is located on Dry Lane in Christow, on a hill north of the historic village centre. It has a strong visual relationship with a number of listed buildings, including Wells House and its outbuilding and walled garden, Sea Hill House, and Sea Point.

History

The K6 telephone kiosk was a milestone in C20 industrial design. It was designed by Sir 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. 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. Some 70,000 K6s were eventually produced. In the 1960s, many were replaced with a new kiosk type, but many still remain and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk on Dry Lane in Christow is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: 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 has a strong visual relationship with several listed buildings in the village.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26678146

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)