K6 Telephone Kiosk

1734/0/10004

MAIDFORD CHURCH LANE K6 Telephone Kiosk

GV II

Telephone kiosk of K6 type, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and made by various contractors. Cast iron.

EXTERIOR: Painted red. There are relief crowns in the segmental upper sections on each side, above glazed panels bearing the word 'TELEPHONE'. The door and two sides are glazed, each having eight horizontal panes with narrow margin lights. Some of the central panes have been replaced with perspex.

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 a new kiosk type. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION: The K6 telephone kiosk in Maidford 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 group value with three listed buildings: the Church of St Peter and St Paul (Grade II*), Manor Farmhouse (Grade II), and the Former Stable (Grade II).