K6 Telephone Kiosk

STOW ON THE WOLD

7/0/10007 ODDINGTON ROAD 09-FEB-11 K6 TELEPHONE KIOSK

GV II A telephone kiosk of 1935 constructed to a standardised K6 design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, 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.

This kiosk is situated in the centre of a village and has a strong visual relationship with two Grade II listed buildings on the opposite side of the road; the Toll Gate and 1 and 2 Mount Pleasant.

HISTORY The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. The K6 was designed by Sir 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. Sir 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 a new kiosk type. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The K6 telephone kiosk, Oddington Road, Stow on the Wold, Cotswold, Gloucestershire, merits listing at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

• Architectural and historic interest: an iconic example of industrial design showing Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of Neoclassical forms for a modern technological function.
• Group value : a good example of the type, having proximity and good visual relationship with two listed buildings.