Telephone KioskTelep

Telephone Kiosk, K6 Type

A largely intact telephone kiosk of the K6 type, dating from between 1955 and 1968. The kiosk stands in a rural roadside location on the south side of Kearney Road near Portaferry, approximately 0.6 kilometres west of Kearney village and 4.5 kilometres east of Portaferry, adjacent to the former site of the National School (demolished 1974).

The kiosk was originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Developed from his earlier K2 (introduced 1926) and K3 (1929) models, the K6 proved the most successful telephone kiosk type ever produced, with approximately 60,000 examples distributed throughout the UK from 1936 onwards. The model remained in production until 1968 when it was superseded by the K8.

The structure is constructed of cast iron, painted red, with a teak-framed door that opens to the east. The south elevation is blank. Each elevation displays the St. Edward's crown motif over a glazed "TELEPHONE" panel. The kiosk retains several of the original 47 small glass panels, though the 24 large glass panels have been replaced with polycarbonate. The interior layout and detailing remain largely unchanged, although the functioning communications equipment was replaced circa 1985–90. The bottom portion of the door, below the glazing, has since been lost and is in need of repair.

The particular variant of the K6 shown here dates from the period following the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, when the Tudor crown motif was replaced with St. Edward's crown. From 1955, a slot in the fascia allowed either the St. Edward's crown (for England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or the Crown of Scotland to be inserted, accommodating both versions for all kiosks manufactured from that date onwards. The kiosk first appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1975.

Once a ubiquitous feature of British street furniture, K6 kiosks are now increasingly rare, particularly in exposed rural contexts such as this. This example served as the sole form of communication for a small number of local residents, making it of considerable social, cultural and economic importance to the community it served.