Telephone Kiosk, near 14 Hilden View, Tullynacross Road, Tullynacross, Lisburn BT27 5SF

A Grade B2 listed telephone kiosk of the K6 type, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and probably installed in 1954. The kiosk stands in semi-rural surroundings on Tullynacross Road, in front of the row of late Victorian terraced houses known as Hilden View, approximately 2.5 miles northeast of Lisburn.

The K6 was originally designed by Scott in 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Constructed in cast iron with a teak door, it was compact in size and easily mass-produced, developing from Scott's earlier K2 (introduced 1926) and K3 (1929) models. The K6 was distributed throughout the UK from 1936 and became the most successful and populous type of telephone kiosk, with some 60,000 placed around the country. About 8,000 were installed as part of the Jubilee Concession, which allowed towns and villages with a post office to apply for a kiosk. A further 1,000 were installed over 12 years under the Tercentenary Concession (celebrating the Post Office's 300th anniversary) for local authorities paying a five-year subscription of £4. The model continued in production until 1968, when the more modernist K8, designed by Bruce Martin, was introduced.

This particular example displays the characteristic cast-iron body painted red, with the Tudor crown motif over a glazed TELEPHONE panel on each elevation. The glazing appears to be largely replacement, except for some smaller side panes that seem original. The door opens to the southeast, with the blank telephone side facing southwest into the road. Close to ground level on the latter side is a maker's mark reading: McFARLANE & Co Ltd, SARACEN FOUNDRY, GLASGOW.

The presence of the Tudor crown motif indicates a date between 1936 and 1953, the period during which this version of the K6 was in use. However, a newspaper report from 15 May 1954 states that a kiosk was to be provided for Tullynacross but had not yet appeared, having been requested again by Lisburn Rural District Council. This suggests the kiosk likely dates from later in 1954 or shortly afterwards. The use of a pre-1953 variant may indicate either a stockpile of older examples, or that this kiosk had been set aside for this location. Following Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, the Tudor crown motif was replaced with St. Edward's crown on subsequent models. From 1955, the Crown of Scotland was used for kiosks in that country, with a slot in the fascia allowing either version to be inserted into all kiosks manufactured from that date onwards. The kiosk first appears on the Ordnance Survey map dated 1963.

The neighbouring terrace of Hilden View was built between 1889 and 1891 as housing for workers at Barbour's Mill at nearby Hilden. Once common street furniture, K6 kiosks are now increasingly rare, and those still in working order are particularly scarce.