K2 Telephone Kiosk To South Of Entrance To Mount Street Gardens

This is a K2 telephone kiosk, dating from circa 1927 and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. 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. The kiosk has 18 glazed rectangular lights on the door and sides, each side framed by a shallow, reeded strip with small decorative elements (paterae) at the corners. A white-glazed panel bearing the word "TELEPHONE" in black is present on each face of the frieze. Each segmental pediment of the dome’s sides features a perforated crown, representing the symbol of the General Post Office (GPO).

The design was the result of a 1923 competition launched by the General Post Office (GPO) and the Royal Fine Arts Commission to replace the earlier, unpopular K1 design. Around 1,700 K2 kiosks were erected, primarily in Metropolitan London, and fewer than 230 are believed to survive. The design of the shallow dome is reminiscent of Sir John Soane’s tomb in St Pancras Churchyard, as Scott was a trustee of the Soane Museum.

This particular K2 kiosk is situated to the south of the entrance to Mount Street Gardens, alongside another K2 to the north. The gardens were originally St George’s Hanover Square Gardens, laid out between 1889 and 1890 on a former parish burial ground.

The kiosk is designated for its design, representing a significant moment in industrial design; its rarity, as K2s were not produced in large numbers; and its group value, situated in the vicinity of other listed buildings including another K2, gate piers, Liddon House, and Grosvenor Chapel.