Telephone Kiosk

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A square plan freestanding telephone kiosk of cast iron construction, which is painted red and has glazing to three elevations. Built to standardised design generated by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, this kiosk is located adjacent to 103 Bush Road Dungannon at cross roads between Bush Road and Cavan Road.

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

Erected in the mid 20th century the kiosk has had modern telephone equipment installed. The phone itself is not in working order.
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 pull handle. Phone equipment to the interior has been modernised.

Setting
The structure is located close to the crossroads of Bush Road and Cavan Road. There are no other listed buildings nearby.

Historical information

The K6 telephone kiosk at the junction of Bush Road and Cavan Road is not shown on the 1942 OS map, but is captioned ‘TCB' (telephone call box) on that of 1974. It can be dated from sometime between 1942 and 1953, as following the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 the 'Tudo' crown motif (which this example possesses) was replaced with St Edward's crown.

Introduced by the General Post Office the K6 kiosk is a mass-produced model, built to the iconic designs of architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935, in commemoration of the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Born in London, Scott was a celebrated figure in British architecture; noted for the designs of Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station.

Constructed in cast-iron, compact in size and easily mass-produced the design of the K6 was developed from Scott’s previous telephone kiosk models, the K2 and K3.

Distributed throughout the UK from 1936 the K6 represents the most successful and populous type of kiosk to be introduced with over 10,000 being manufactured. Despite widespread replacement with modern kiosks in recent decades, the K6 model emerged as and continues to be a key feature of the British streetscape.

Resources

Primary Sources

1. NMBRNI OS Map, six-inch country series, Co. Tyrone sheet 54, 1942
2. 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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
V. Authorship

Evaluation

This structure is a stand alone feature at the Bush Crossroads, near Coalisland, Co Tyrone. It is an example of the mass produced K6 telephone kiosk designed by the prominent architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and iconic feature of the UK townscape. The kiosk is intact, but at the time of listing no longer functions. Such kiosks are relatively rare in N Ireland.