K6 Telephone Kiosk

This is a K6 telephone kiosk, dating from 1935. It is constructed of cast iron, with glass and perspex windows, and is painted red overall. The kiosk features long horizontal glazing in the door and sides, and applied crowns on the top panels, rather than perforated ones. Rectangular white display signs read "TELEPHONE" beneath the shallow-curved roof. Modern internal telephone equipment is present. While generally intact, some windows have been replaced with perspex, and the kiosk is in worn condition. It occupies a prominent location opposite the Cutty Sark (Grade I), the Greenwich Footway Tunnel entrance building (Grade II), and a monument to fallen soldiers of the New Zealand campaign 1863-64 (Grade II). It also faces the Royal Naval College and railings (Grade II).

The K6 kiosk was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott for the General Post Office to commemorate King George V's Silver Jubilee. It evolved from his earlier, successful K2 telephone kiosk design of 1924, which had Neo-classical influences. The K6 was more streamlined, compact, and cost-effective to mass produce. Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960) was a significant British architect, responsible for notable buildings including Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station. The K2 and K6 kiosks represent an adaptation of architectural tradition to meet contemporary technological requirements, with over 70,000 K6s eventually produced. The kiosk was relocated to its current position within Cutty Sark Gardens in 2011.

The kiosk is designated at Grade II for its importance as a landmark of industrial design, created by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and for its strong visual relationship with five other listed buildings.