Telephone Kiosk, 33 Derryharney Road, Enniskillen, BT94 5HY

Telephone Kiosk at 33 Derryharney Road

This is a K6 model telephone kiosk, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The kiosk is constructed from cast iron with a domed roof and features margined windows arranged in a 1x8 pane configuration. Many of the original windows remain, though some have been replaced with perspex. Black serif lettering spelling 'Telephone' is displayed across each elevation, with a Tudor Crown insignia in bas-relief positioned centrally above the signage.

The K6 was developed from Scott's earlier models, the larger K2 (introduced 1926) and K3 (1929). Its compact, easily mass-produced design made it the most successful telephone kiosk type ever introduced. Distribution began in 1936, and approximately 60,000 K6 kiosks were eventually placed throughout the UK. About 8,000 of these were installed under the 'Jubilee Concession', which allowed towns and villages with a post office to apply for a kiosk. A further 1,000 kiosks were distributed under the 'Tercentenary Concession' (celebrating the Post Office's 300th anniversary) over a 12-year period for local authorities willing to pay a five-year subscription of £4. From 1949, the 'Rural Allocation scheme' replaced these programmes, placing kiosks in out-of-town areas on the recommendation of rural authorities.

Following the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, a minor design alteration replaced the Tudor crown with St. Edward's crown. From 1955, the Crown of Scotland was used for Scottish kiosks, with a slot in the fascia allowing either crown version to be inserted into kiosks manufactured from this date onwards. Production of the K6 continued until 1968, when the more modernist K8, designed by Bruce Martin, was introduced, though some K6s appear to have been installed or relocated after this date.

The history of this particular kiosk is difficult to establish with certainty. The neighbouring house served as a post office from some time before 1906, and it is probable that a telephone box would have been installed adjacent to it at some point after 1936. An outline that could represent a kiosk appears on the 1958 Ordnance Survey map but is not captioned as a 'TCB' (Telephone Call Box), as was standard practice for such structures; it is only marked as such on the 1985 map. It is possible the kiosk was placed here between 1958 and 1968 when the K6 was still in production, but the absence of maps dating between these years or other supporting evidence makes it impossible to confirm whether it was originally located here or was relocated to this site at a later date after 1968. The kiosk remains in good condition with many of its original features intact, but due to insufficient evidence that it has remained in its original location and setting, it has not been listed.