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 (E, S, W) and incorporating a solid panel to the fourth elevation (N). The Drumad Rd kiosk bears the Tudor Crown, which dates manufacture to between 1936 and 1953, the K6 design was discontinued in 1968.

The kiosk is located approx. 2m from the adjacent carriageway edge and sits to the front of the old Post Office at 59 Drumad Rd. The glazing is predominantly Perspex panels, and it is noted the door is fixed shut so no inspection of the interior was possible, however externally the kiosk has been well maintained and remains fairly intact.

Historical information

A ‘TCB’ or telephone call box, along with a small square denoting the footprint of the same, is marked on this site on the OS map of 1975, next to what was at that time Arboe Post Office (the present 59 Drumad Rd.) The precise date of installation is not known, but the kiosk’s ‘Tudor’ crown motif, plus its positioning next to a post office, indicates that it is likely to have been placed here sometime between 1936 and 1949.

The neighbouring property had been operating as the local post office since at least 1906. In summer 1929 the GPO gave notice that a ‘telegraphic line’ was to be erected along ‘the Drumaney-Arboe Road…to Arboe Post Office via The Diamond’, thus establishing the infrastructure which the telephone network could be extended to in the area.

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 OS map, County series, Tyrone sheet 40 – 1906, 1934; IG sheet 125–12 1975
2 ‘Mid Ulster Mail’ – 6 July 1929, p.4; 13 July 1929, p.4

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 12 November 2025)
6 GPO - KIOSK No. 6 (K6) - https://www.britishtelephones.com/k6.htm (accessed 12 November 2025)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

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 in a prominent location along the Drumad Rd, adjacent to what was once the local post office and adds to the distinctiveness of the setting, it is structurally sound and well maintained. This iconic piece of street furniture, once common but almost entirely replaced by modern mobile phone use, is now increasingly rare.