K6 Telephone Kiosk

EAST HOLME

373/0/10005 (Southwest side) 20-OCT-10 K6 Telephone Kiosk

GV II K6 Telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and made by various contractors. Cast iron and glass.

DESCRIPTION: The kiosk has three glazed sides, including a door, and a solid rear side. The glazed sides each have eight horizontal strips of glass with narrow margin lights to either side. The Soane-inspired domed roof sits atop the four arched sides, each of which has a crown in relief above a glazed panel bearing the word 'TELEPHONE'. It is painted red. The interior contains modern telecommunications equipment.

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 DECISION: This K6 telephone kiosk is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * It is an iconic example of industrial design, showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of neoclassical forms for a modern technological function * It has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings