K6 Telephone Kiosk

BERKSWELL

732/0/10043 SPENCER'S LANE 08-JUL-09 K6 Telephone Kiosk

GV II 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 lost its internal equipment. The kiosk is largely intact. It stands close to a village crossroads, in proximity to three listed buildings: The Bear Inn (Grade II) approximately 5 m to the north, The Malt House (Grade II) approximately 20m to the north west and Village Farmhouse (Grade II), approximately 20 m to the south west. The telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with these three listed buildings collectively.

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 10,000 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 DESIGNATION The K6 telephone kiosk in Spencer's Lane, Berkswell, situated in a conservation area, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reason:

• It has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings collectively, one of which it stands in close proximity . * The kiosk has lost its telephone and internal shelving, but is in good structural and decorative condition. * It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design. SP2464079092