K6 Telephone Kiosk

HIGH AND LOW BISHOPSIDE

1435/0/10025 29-NOV-10

MIDDLESMOOR PATELEY BRIDGE 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 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. At the time of inspection, the kiosk was still operational and in a reasonable state of repair with some minor cracks in the ceiling and only 10 large and 6 small panes replaced in Perspex.

The kiosk is sited at the heart of the village opposite a road junction and just downhill from the former village post office, the Crown Inn and a house to the left, all of which are covered by two separate listings and with which the kiosk has a strong visual relationship.

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 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 Middlesmoor is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Group Value: The kiosk has a strong visual relationship with the former village post office, the Crown Inn and the house to the left, all of which are listed buildings. * Setting: The kiosk forms a focal point at the heart of the Middlesmoor Conservation Area.