Telephone Kiosk

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A square plan, freestanding K6 telephone kiosk of cast iron construction, which is painted red and has glazing to three elevations. Built to the standardised design generated by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, this kiosk is located to the west of Kilrea town, at the north side of the junction between Maghera Street and New Row. Erected in the mid 20th century the kiosk has had modern telephone equipment installed. Although it continues to fulfill its original function, it is currently in a fairly poor state of repair.

The symmetrical structure on a concrete base has a shallow, cast-iron domed roof carried on moulded pediments . The panels beneath the roof have glazed, opaque rectangular signs reading ‘Telephone’ and are surmounted by a raised crown moulding on each of the four elevations. All sides are glazed with 8x3 panes of plain glass except for the west which has a blank back panel and foundry plate beneath. Timber and painted door to south elevation with metal door handle (some glass panes are missing) and a ‘Pull’ sign. Phone equipment to the interior has been modernised but the exterior, especially the door, is in a fairly poor state of repair.

Setting
The structure is located on a relatively prominent site within the town; at the main traffic junction between New Row and Maghera Street. A number of other listed buildings are in close proximity , which include Kilrea Second Presbyterian Church (HB03/01/011) directly to the north, 67 Maghera Street (HB03/01/010) to the north east corner and the Northern Bank building (HB03/01/012) across the road to the south west.

Roof: Cast-iron
RWG: None
Walling: Cast-iron, painted
Windows: Single pane with glazing bars

Historical information

The K6 telephone kiosk at the junction of New Row and Maghera Street is first shown captioned ‘telephone call box’ on the first edition OS map (eleven series 1974). This kiosk was erected at some point between the release of the K6 model in 1936, but judging from the style of the crown motif (see below), before 1953.

The K6 model was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Constructed in cast-iron with a teak door, compact in size and easily mass-produced, the design of the K6 was developed from Scott’s previous telephone kiosk models, the larger K2 (introduced in 1926) and K3 (1929). It was distributed throughout the UK from 1936 and represents the most successful and populous type of kiosk to be introduced with some 60,000 being placed around the country. About 8,000 of these were installed as part of the 'Jubilee Concession', which allowed towns and villages with a post office to apply for a kiosk. A year later under the 'Tercentenary Concession' celebrating the Post Office's 300th anniversary, a further 1,000 kiosks were installed over 12 years for local authorities paying a five-year subscription of £4. 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 that country, a slot in the fascia allowing either version to be inserted into all of those manufactured from this date. The model continued in production until 1968 when the more modernist K8, designed by Bruce Martin, was introduced.

Resources

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/10/5/27/5/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey County map (1905)
2. PRONI OS/10/5/27/5/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey County map (1925)
3. PRONI OS/6/5/27/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map, six inch series (1925-33)
4. PRONI OS/11/41/16/1- First Edition OS map, eleven inch series (1974)

Secondary Sources

1. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (http://www.oxforddnb.com)
2. The Telephone Box (http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

In conjunction with the adjacent listed buildings, this structure contributes to the historic interest and visual character of this area of the town. An example of the mass produced K6 telephone kiosk designed by the prominent architect Sir Giles Gibert Scott, it is an iconic feature of the UK townscape. The kiosk continues to function as it was intended and is now a relatively rare example in N Ireland.

General comments

Additional listing criteria apply -R- Age, S- Authenticity, T- Historic Importance