Pair Of K6 Telephone Kiosks Next To The Western Stone Pier On Front Boundary Railings

798-1/0/10394 GREAT RUSSELL STREET 01-FEB-11 Bloomsbury (North side) Pair of K6 telephone kiosks next to th e western stone pier on front boundary railings

II Pair of K6 telephone kiosks. 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. Both kiosks have rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath the shallow-curved roof. They have modernised internal equipment.

This pair of K6 telephone kiosks stands between the eastern stone pier and the main entrance gate along front boundary railings before the courtyard and front facade of the British Museum, a Grade I listed building. The boundary railings, with the main entrance gateway and lodges, are also listed Grade II*. Also, directly on the opposite side of the street is the Grade II listed Museum Tavern public house.

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 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 pair of K6 telephone kiosks, standing between the western stone pier and the entrance gates along front boundary railings on Great Russell Street are designated at Grade II for the principal following reasons: * Special design interest: designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, the K6 is a major landmark of industrial design. * Group value: this pair of K6 telephone kiosks stands in close proximity to listed buildings, including the Grade I listed British Museum.