Telephone Kiosk near 86 Gortindarragh Road Pomeroy Gortavoy Dungannon Co. Tyrone BT70 3DU

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A ‘K6’ telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott dating between 1936 and 1955. The kiosk is set in a rural location at the road junction with Gortindarragh Road and the Pomeroy Road, adjacent to Gortavoy bridge near Ballygawley.
The kiosk, is an early K6 model, indicated by the integral Tudor Crown cipher (pre-1953). Approximately 8ft 3in/251cm high and 3ft 5in/91cm wide, distinctively painted red, it has a cast-iron body and shallow domed roof and teak door. Three sides of the kiosk are glazed, with eight rows of three panes: a wide central pane of glass and two outer, narrow panes. Original glass is replaced with Perspex. The back panel (W) has a blank, moulded panel conforming to the dimensions of the windows. Above the main body on each elevation, is a plain entablature with a rectangular signage slot, with trim moulding, that contains a glazed illuminated display- ‘TELEPHONE’. The domed roof is formed by segmental pediments, with a convex-moulded edge. Each pediment bears a moulded Tudor crown motif.
The kiosk faces south and opens obliquely onto Gortindarragh Road. It is set within a waist-height dashed-wall enclosure with apex coping. Two coped pillars mark the entrance through to the kiosk
.
Roof: Cast-iron
Walling Cast-iron
Window: Perspex
Door: Hardwood
RWG: N/A

Historical information

This telephone kiosk can probably be dated to sometime between 1936 and 1955, the period during which this particular version of the ‘K6’ type was in use (see below). The first available OS map on which it is shown is that dated 1975. The house next to the kiosk (86 Gortindarragh Rd – HB13/14/012) served as ‘Gortavoy Bridge Post Office’ from before 1935, (superseding the former post office which stood a short distance to the north along Pomeroy Road), until at least 1975.

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 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, though some K6s do seem to have installed after this date.

Sources - Primary Sources
1 OS map IG sheet 140-12 - 1975

Secondary Sources
2 N. Johannessen, ‘Telephone Boxes’ Shire Publications (Princes Risborough 1994).
3 The Telephone Box - http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/ (accessed 3 September 2021)
4 GPO - KIOSK No. 6 (K6) (britishtelephones.com) (accessed 24 August 2023)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A K6 telephone kiosk of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott design, proportioned to accommodate a single standing user. Manufactured in cast-iron for longevity, although steel would have been in common use at the time. It has a prominent setting, on the Pomeroy Road and, apart from its internal fittings and replacement glazing, this kiosk is as originally designed.
The Kiosk and the former post office were part of an important social node in the rural environment. Prior to the inception of mobile phones, it would have been of social value to the inhabitants of the area and served as a local landmark.

General comments

Previously HB13/LQ077