Telephone Kiosk 30 Churchtown Road Ballyculter Upper Downpatrick Co. Down BT30 7AT

Telephone Kiosk, 30 Churchtown Road, Ballyculter Upper

This is a K6 telephone kiosk of standard design, proportioned to accommodate a single standing user. Manufactured by the Carron Company in Falkirk, it was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The kiosk dates between 1936 and 1953, with the first record of its presence appearing on the Ordnance Survey map of 1976.

The kiosk stands approximately 8 feet 3 inches (251 centimetres) high and 3 feet 5 inches (91 centimetres) wide. It is constructed of cast iron, painted red, chosen for its longevity and ease of maintenance over steel. The body features small-paned glazed sides and door, with a shallow domed roof. The upper section of each glazed elevation displays the Tudor crown motif of the sovereign above a glazed panel marked "TELEPHONE". The rear elevation is a solid panel that abuts the gable of the adjoining property. The kiosk is fitted with a hardwood teak door, retaining original leather door straps, and the glazed elevations are now largely replaced with Perspex. The working telephone apparatus remains in place.

The kiosk is sited at the end of a footpath alongside a Post Box, facing north-west onto Churchtown Road in the rural hamlet of Churchtown near Strangford. This prominent setting has given it lasting value as a local landmark.

The K6 was developed from Scott's earlier models, the K2 (introduced 1926) and K3 (1929). It was distributed throughout the United Kingdom from 1936 and proved the most successful and widespread telephone kiosk type, with approximately 60,000 placed around the country. About 8,000 were installed under the "Jubilee Concession", which allowed towns and villages with a post office to apply for a kiosk. A further 1,000 were installed between 1937 and 1949 under the "Tercentenary Concession" for the Post Office's 300th anniversary. From 1949, the "Rural Allocation Scheme" placed kiosks in out-of-town areas upon recommendation by rural authorities. This kiosk likely owes its installation to one of these schemes.

The design incorporates an early feature of the K6 type: the integral Tudor Crown cipher, which remained in use until 1953. Following the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, this was replaced with St. Edward's crown. From 1955, a slot in the fascia allowed either St. Edward's crown or the Crown of Scotland to be inserted, accommodating both English and Scottish versions. The K6 continued in production until 1968, when it was succeeded by the more modernist K8 designed by Bruce Martin, though some K6s were installed into the 1970s.