Telephone Kiosk

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A telephone kiosk of K6 type, manufactured in cast iron, with small-paned sides, timber door, and a shallow domical roof. It stands at the edge of a country road in a very rural location, not far from two listed buildings.

Historical information

This particular kiosk can be dated to sometime between 1936, the years this particular ('K6') model was introduced and 1953, as the 'Tudor' crown motif it possesses was dropped in favour of St. Edward's crown following the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

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.

Secondary Sources
1 English Heritage, Conservation Bulletin, June 1987
2. N. Johannessen, ‘Telephone Boxes’ Shire Publications (Princes Risborough 1994).
3 The Telephone Box - http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/ (accessed January 2019)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An example of a pre-war model of telephone kiosk which has been generally superseded by a modern type.