Telephone Kiosk, Facing Tyrone View, Benburb, Co.Armagh, BT71

This is a fairly intact telephone kiosk designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, representing a pre-1953 K6 model as indicated by the Tudor Crown cipher. These iconic pieces of street furniture are increasingly rare, and working examples such as this are even more so.

The kiosk is a square-plan, freestanding cast-iron structure approximately 8 feet high and 3 feet wide, painted red and sitting on a concrete base. It is a symmetrical design with a shallow cast-iron domed roof carried on moulded pediments. The panels beneath the roof are cream-coloured opaque glass with rectangular signs reading 'Telephone' (some faded) and are surmounted by a raised crown moulding on each of the four elevations. The north, east and west sides are glazed with fixed full-height margin-paned glazed panels, except for the central panel at ground level on the west side which has a solid infill. The south side features a blank back panel with a foundry plate beneath reading Saracen Foundry Glasgow.

The K6 was designed to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and was developed from Scott's previous telephone kiosk models, the larger K2 (introduced in 1926) and K3 (1929). Constructed in cast-iron with a teak door, the design was compact and easily mass-produced. The K6 was distributed throughout the UK from 1936 and represents the most successful type of kiosk introduced, with approximately 60,000 being placed around the country. Many were installed as part of the 'Jubilee Concession', which allowed towns and villages with a post office to apply for a kiosk. A further batch followed under the 'Tercentenary Concession' celebrating the Post Office's 300th anniversary.

A minor alteration in the K6 design occurred following the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, when the 'Tudor' crown motif was replaced with St. Edward's crown. From 1955 the Crown of Scotland was used for kiosks in Scotland, with a slot in the fascia allowing either version to be inserted into those manufactured from this date. The model continued in production until 1968 when the more modernist K8, designed by Bruce Martin, was introduced.

The kiosk is located southwest of Benburb on the east side of Tyrone View, in front of a low stone wall on the side of the Milltown Road. It sits close to a portion of the Ulster Canal which includes listed structures such as a bridge and lock, a lock house, and Orr/Sinton's Mill. The kiosk was likely sited to serve the mill and contributes to an interesting group of related heritage structures. The exact date of its installation is not known, though it is marked on the 1952-53 Ordnance Survey map.