Summary

A K6 telephone kiosk, manufactured to the designs of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott after 1935.

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. The telephone kiosk's display signs have faded, although the lettering is still legible in places, and the red paint is flaking. It retains glass windows.

The kiosk stands in Combeinteignhead Conservation Area at a cross roads and in close proximity to Brooklands (Grade II) and Bridge House (Grade II). Additionally, Little Cottage and April Cottage (both Grade II) can be seen in the same view as the kiosk, as can the tower of the parish Church of All Saints (Grade II*).

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. 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. Well over 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 in Combeinteignhead, Devon is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Design Interest: the K6 kiosk is recognised as an iconic design which is of intrinsic interest;
* Group value: it has group value and a strong visual relationship with Brooklands (Grade II) and Bridge House (Grade II). Additionally, Little Cottage and April Cottage (both Grade II) can be seen in the same view as the kiosk, as can the tower of the parish Church of All Saints (Grade II*).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478529

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)