K2 Telephone Kiosk (In Front of No. 75)

This is a K2 telephone kiosk, dating from circa 1927, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott. It stands on the southwest side of Hampstead High Street, in front of number 75.

The kiosk follows the standard K2 design: a square structure of cast iron, painted red, and topped with a distinctive shallow, domed roof supported by pendentives. There are 18 glazed rectangular lights to the door and sides, each side framed by a shallow, reeded strip with small decorative roundels at the angles. Each face of the frieze has a rectangular white glazed panel displaying the word “TELEPHONE” in black lettering. Each segmental pediment of the dome’s sides features a perforated crown, which was the symbol of the General Post Office.

The kiosk has a significant history; in 1923, the General Post Office launched a design competition for a new telephone kiosk to replace the earlier, widely criticised, K1 design. Giles Gilbert Scott’s neo-classical design was selected in 1926. The shallow-domed top of the K2 is reminiscent of Soane’s design for his tomb in St Pancras Churchyard. Approximately 1,700 K2s were erected, mainly in Metropolitan London, and just over 200 are thought to survive. It was subsequently superseded by Scott's K6 design in 1935, which was used nationally.

The kiosk was relocated from the ABC Bakery in Camden Street in the late 1980s, due to redevelopment.

The K2 telephone kiosk is designated for its architectural and historic significance. It represents a successful adaptation of architectural tradition to meet modern technological needs, demonstrating the skill of a leading 20th-century architect. K2 kiosks are relatively scarce and a distinctive feature of London's streetscape, contributing to group value with numbers 73-76 Hampstead High Street and other listed buildings in the area.