K6 Telephone Kiosk

241/0/10029

WEST COKER Village Square K6 Telephone Kiosk

24-APR-09

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. It is in good condition (2009) with the exception of a few patches of rust on the roof.

The kiosk is situated in the centre of the village by a crossroad and stands directly in front of a shop and Post Office (listed together Grade II). The Gate Piers located less than 5m away are Grade II listed. Six other listed buildings can be seen simultaneously with the kiosk: 17 High Street (Grade II), approximately 15m to the south west, 26 and 28 High Street (Grade II) approximately 15m to the west, 1 Church Street (Grade II) approximately 30m north west, 14, 16 and 18 High Street (Grade II) approximately 30m to the north east, and 1 and 3 East Street (Grade II) approximately 20m to the north east. The kiosk stands on a gentle incline from where it has a strong visual relationship with each of these listed buildings from multiple vantage points.

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 West Coker, Somerset, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * It has a strong visual relationship with eight listed buildings * It stands directly in front of a Post Office and therefore has a contextual relationship with its setting * It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design