K6 Telephone Kiosk, Adjacent To Garden Railings

798-1/0/10398 BLOOMSBURY SQUARE 01-FEB-11 Bloomsbury (Southeast side) K6 telephone kiosk, adjacent to garden railings

II K6 telephone kiosk. Materials: cast iron and glass (except where later modified).

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 K6 telephone kiosk is situated at the south east corner of Bloomsbury Square Gardens. Adjacent to the east is the rear of the large commercial building Victoria House, Nos. 37-63 Southampton Row, a Grade II listed building. Across the road to the south are four Grade II listed buildings: Nos. 43, 44 and 46 Bloomsbury Square; Nos. 1-29 Sicilian Avenue; three lamp posts, Sicilian Avenue; and Avenue Chambers, Nos. 1-6 Vernon Place.

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 thoughtful adaptation of architectural tradition to contemporary technological requirements. Well over 70,000 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, adjacent to garden railings, at the south east corner of Bloomsbury Square Gardens, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Special design interest: designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, the K6 is a major landmark of industrial design. * Group value: this K6 telephone kiosk has a close visual relationship with several listed buildings.