K6 Telephone Kiosk

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A freestanding type K6 telephone kiosk constructed to Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's standardised design of 1935. Cast iron construction painted red with glazing to three elevations (NW, SW, SE) and incorporating a solid panel to the fourth elevation (NE). The Main Street kiosk bears the Tudor Crown, which dates manufacture to between 1936 and 1953, the K6 design was discontinued in 1968.
The kiosk is located along Main Street within the large village of Waterfoot and is located on the footpath immediately adjacent to the road. The location is prominent along Mian Street within Waterfoot. The glazing is predominantly Perspex. The kiosk is in good condition apart from fading to the high-level signage on the NE, NW, SE elevations. Both leather hinge straps are intact.

Historical information

The precise date of the installation of this ‘K6’ model telephone kiosk is difficult to determine. Two minor design features, (namely the asymmetrically arranged cable entry holes near the bottom of the rear panel and the particular version of the Tudor crown motif), indicate that it was manufactured sometime between 1939 and 1953, whilst the fact that it is positioned close to the local post office (see General information below) suggests it is pre-1949. There seems to be no available documentary evidence to narrow the dating down further, however, other than a c.1940 photograph of Main Street (from the Ulster Museum’s W.A. Green Collection) which shows a kiosk in the same location. If correct this could make the structure one of the earliest extant K6s in Northern Ireland. The first obtainable OS map of the area, that of 1973, clearly shows it in place, marked ‘TCB’ - telephone call box.

This particular kiosk was manufactured by the Carron Company, of Carron, Falkirk, the noted iron foundry established in 1759, that by 1814 had become the largest of its kind in Europe. Initially producing mainly armaments and steam engines, the firm subsequently diversified to include the manufacture of domestic products (such as stoves), as well as street furniture. Latterly know as Carron Phoenix, the company was sold to its present owners in 1990.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON K6 KIOSKS 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 willing to pay a five-year subscription of £4. After 1949 this was succeeded by the ‘Rural Allocation scheme’, under which kiosks were placed in out-of-town areas upon the recommendation of a rural authority.

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 the 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.

References – Primary sources
1 Ulster Museum HOYFM.WAG.3234 Green Collection – c.1940
2 OS map, IG sheet 25-13 – 1973

Secondary Sources
3 N. Johannessen, ‘Telephone Boxes’ Shire Publications (Princes Risborough, 2010)
4 Linge, Nigel and Sutton, Andy, ‘The British phonebox’, (Amberley Publishing, 2017)
5 The Telephone Box - http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/ (accessed 5 October 2025)
6 GPO - KIOSK No. 6 (K6) - https://www.britishtelephones.com/k6.htm (accessed 5 October 2025)
7 ‘Grace’s guide to British industrial history’ - https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Carron_Co(accessed 5 October 2025)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

This structurally intact telephone kiosk designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott is a 1936 to 1953 K6 model, as indicated by the presence of a moulded Tudor crown cypher. It is located in a prominent location within the village of Waterfoot and adds to the distinctiveness of the setting. According to photographic evidence it may be one of the earliest extant K6s in Northern Ireland. This iconic piece of street furniture, once common but almost entirely replaced by modern mobile phone use, is now increasingly rare.