K6 Telephone Kiosk

826/0/10013 08-OCT-10

MARLOW QUOITING SQUARE 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. This kiosk is a 1950s model indicated by the St Edward's Crown of Elizabeth II. The original glazing has been replaced by Perspex. It is located in a prominent position on the south-east corner of Quoiting Square next to a postal pillar box.

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. This example was installed in its present location in 1955.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: This K6 telephone kiosk on Quoiting Square is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Its prominent position on a square of this historic market town; * Its close visual association with at least ten listed buildings; * As a representative example within an urban setting of this important C20 industrial design.