K6 Telephone Kiosk

NEWTON POPPLEFORD AND HARPFORD

1586/0/10001 HIGH STREET 20-OCT-10 K6 TELEPHONE KIOSK

II K6 telephone kiosk

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. There are rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath the shallow-curved roof. It has modernised internal equipment. The kiosk retains the majority of its glass windows (the rest are Perspex), and appears to be in good condition (2009).

The kiosk is located at the centre of the village and stands directly adjacent to 1 & 2 Church Green Cottages (Grade II). On the small green to the east of the kiosk stands an unlisted war memorial and directly to the south of this, approximately 25m from the kiosk, stands St Luke's Church (Grade II*). The kiosk enjoys a strong visual relationship with these two listed buildings collectively within this prominent location in the village.

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 K6 telephone kiosk in Newton Poppleford, Devon, is recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * It has a strong visual relationship with two listed buildings, one of which is Grade II* * It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design