K6 Telephone Kiosk

TEMPLETON

1517/0/10006 K6 TELEPHONE KIOSK 08-NOV-10

II K6 telephone kiosk

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. The red paint is flaking off in many places, particularly on the door. The display signs remain in good condition.

The kiosk stands in the centre of the village, directly adjacent to the Village Pump (Grade II). On the opposite side of the road, approximately 10m to the east of the kiosk, stands the former Post Office, now called Post Cottage (Grade II), providing a contextual relationship between the kiosk and its setting. The Church of St Margaret is situated approximately 40m to the north east, yet is clearly visible simultaneously with the kiosk from the centre of the village. There is a strong visual relationship between the kiosk and these three listed buildings.

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 Templeton, Devon, is recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * It has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings * Post Cottage (the old post office, opposite the kiosk) provides a contextual relationship between the kiosk and its setting