Pair Of K6 Telephone Kiosks

WINDSOR

747/0/10019 THE CONCOURSE, WINDSOR ROYAL STATION 08-JUL-09 PAIR OF K6 TELEPHONE KIOSKS

II Pair of K6 telephone kiosks

DESCRIPTION: The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in 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. These kiosks are intact and in very good condition (2009).

These kiosks are situated within the Windsor Royal Shopping complex, which in itself is part of the Grade II listed Windsor and Eton Central Station. They stand in a high profile location under the main canopy of the old station concourse, in close proximity to a replica of the steam engine that originally conveyed the royal train. The two kiosks present an aesthetically pleasing symmetrical pair.

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 two K6 telephone kiosks in The Concourse, Windsor Royal Station, are designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * They stand in a prominent position within a Grade II listed building * They are situated in a highly historical location within a conservation area * They are representative examples within an urban setting of this important C20 industrial design