Telephone Kiosk at

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A ‘K6’ telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, dating from sometime between 1970 and 1984. The kiosk is set in a rural location between Richhill and Armagh on the North side of the Portadown Road, Armagh. Castle Dillon house lies a short distance to the West and Hockley Lodge to the East.

The Kiosk has the usual cast-iron body painted red. Three principle elevations are glazed with 75% of the small panes extant, the SW elevation is solid. Each elevation displays the soverign’s St. Edward's crown motif, these are the slot-in type, and above each is a glazed ‘TELEPHONE’ panel all of which appear to have been replaced. The door opens to the NE and onto a lane which was the access to the former Woodview Post Office (HB15/03/050). Although the leather strap to the door is missing the mountings are extant and the kiosk is functional.

Historical information

This K6 type telephone kiosk is one of the post-1955 variants of the design (see below). It is not marked on the 1970 OS map, but does appear on that of 1984, suggesting that it was installed at some point between these dates, probably closer to 1970. The neighbouring house (no.126 Portadown Rd – see HB15/03/050) served as the local post office from some time after 1947 but had relinquished this role before 1984.

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.

TOWNLAND: Mullanasilla - Ir. Mullach na Saileach ‘summit of the sallows’. This immediate vicinity has the name ‘Woodview’. Probably a reference to extensive the woodland at nearby Castle Dillon, the name appears to have been applied to the pre-1835 house on the southeast side of the road, (no.137 Portadown Rd, see HB15/03/015), by at least 1860. By the early 1900s, the area was also being referred to as ‘Woodview Post Office’. The Post Office itself had been located in 136 Portadown Rd (directly opposite ‘Woodview’ House) from before 1891, northeast to 149 Mullanasilla Rd sometime between 1905 and 1947, and then to no.126 Portadown Rd at some point between 1947 and 1970.

References - Primary Sources
1 OS map, 6in County Series, Co. Armagh sheet 12 - 1835, 1860, 1905, 1947; IG sheet 218 (218-4) – 1970, 1984

Secondary Sources
2 N. Johannessen, ‘Telephone Boxes’ Shire Publications (Princes Risborough 1994)
3 The Telephone Box - http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/ (accessed January 2019)
4 PlacenamesNI website - https://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=10333

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This telephone kiosk is of standard cast iron K6 design. It has a prominent setting, on the main Portadown to Armagh Road and apart from its internal fittings, and a percentage of the glazing, this kiosk is as designed by the prominent architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Prior to the inception of mobile phones, it would have been of great social value to the inhabitants of the area and served as a local landmark. However it cannot be determined at this time if the kiosk was re located from another site or is original to this location and therefore does not meet the legislative test for listing.