Telephone Call Box, New Lanark Road, New Lanark, Lanark, South Lanarkshire

Entry Name: Telephone Call Box, New Lanark Road, New Lanark

Listing Name: New Lanark, New Lanark Road, K6 Telephone Kiosk

Listing Date: 23 June 1989

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 382084

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB37104

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: New Lanark, New Lanark Road, Telephone Call Box

ID on this website: 200382084

Location: Lanark

County: South Lanarkshire

Town: Lanark

Electoral Ward: Clydesdale North

Traditional County: Lanarkshire

Tagged with: Telephone booth K6 telephone box

Description

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, 1935; installed circa 1950-60. Standard 8' high K6 telephone kiosk. Cast-iron painted Post Office red. Lying-pane glazing to 3 sides with narrow margin lights (one glazed side with cup handle aligned with 4th/5th pane forming door); blind cast-iron panel to rear holding telephone and shelf. Rectangular glass opal with TELEPHONE in black lettering to each side with vent below and surmounted by central embossed crown; rising into 4 segmental-headed pediments terminating in a saucer dome.

Statement of Interest

Located in prominent position on the main road into New Lanark, at the heart of the village.

The K6 is also known as the Jubilee Kiosk, commemorating the Silver Jubilee of King George V. At this time the GPO had set up a committee to redesign the telephone kiosk for mass production, with a Jubilee Concession Scheme providing one kiosk for each village with a Post Office. Scott was asked to design the new kiosk in March 1935 and, after approval by the Royal Fine Art Commission, the K6 went into production in 1936. The new K6 was constructed from cast-iron and painted Post Office red (in 1924 the same commission had decided on the colour red for the kiosk, as it was 'easy to spot and gave an authoritative and official character.'). It stands 8 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 13½ hundredweight.

The K6 was based on Scott's 1924 K2 kiosk which had been classical in character with small pane glazing, a reeded Grecian surround and a Soanian dome (believed to have been inspired by that on Sir John Soane's tomb or the lantern above the mausoleum at the Dulwich Picture Gallery). Aware of new architectural trends, Scott applied a modernistic style to his older box. The Grecian fluting was removed but the Soanian dome remained, as did the curved corners (which added strength to the cast-iron panels, now designed to be bolted together and erected in a day). The most noticeable change was the glazing; the horizontal bars were moved side ways to create a broad central light with narrow margin lights. This was to improve visibility and resemble 'modern' architecture. The design of the box was so popular it remained in production until 1968 when it was superseded by the K8 by Bruce Martin (the K7, by Neville Conder, was never widely used).

The New Lanark cotton-spinning village is made up of residential and community buildings, dating predominantly from 1786-1820s. It was founded by David Dale, a Glasgow merchant, in conjunction with Richard Arkwright, the trailblazing inventor of the cotton-spinning industry whose patents enabled operation on a considerable scale. Dale's humane philosophy, realised from the start in the buildings of New Lanark, was expanded by Robert Owen, who took over management of the mill village in partnership from 1799. The mills were in operation from 1786-1968.

Within World Heritage Site inscribed 2001.

List description updated 2010.

External Links

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