Telephone Kiosk

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A square plan, freestanding 1937-53 era K6 telephone kiosk of cast iron construction, painted red with glazing to three of the elevations and a solid panel to the fourth (S). Built to Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's standardised design of 1935, the kiosk is located southwest of Benburb on the east side of Tyrone View.

An 8ft high, 3ft wide symmetrical structure of cast iron sections bolted together, sitting on a concrete base with a shallow, cast-iron domed roof carried on moulded pediments. The panels beneath the roof have cream-coloured opaque glass rectangular signs reading ‘Telephone’(some panels faded) and are surmounted by a raised crown moulding (the St Edward's Crown introduced post 1953) on each of the four elevations. N, E and W sides are glazed with fixed full-height margin-paned glazed panels with the exception of the central panel at ground level on the west side which has a solid infill. The South side has a blank back panel and foundry plate beneath reading Saracen Foundry Glasgow.

Setting

The telephone kiosk is in front of a low stone wall, on the side of the Milltown Road SW of the village of Benburb. It sits close to a portion of the Ulster Canal which includes listed structures such as a bridge and lock (HB15/12/011B), a lock house (HB15/12/011A), and a mill (HB15/12/011 Orr/Sinton's Mill). The kiosk was likely sited to serve the mill and contributes to an interesting group.

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

Historical information

This K6 type telephone kiosk is one of the 1936-53 variants of the design (see below), and is marked on the 1952-53 OS map. The exact date of its installation is not known.

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: TULLYMORE ETRA - Ir. Tulaigh Mhor Iochtarach ‘Large hillock (Lower)’.

References - Primary Sources
1 OS map, 6in County Series, Co. Armagh sheet 7 - 1952-53; IG sheet 198-7 – 1977

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

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A fairly intact telephone kiosk designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, this is a pre-1953 K6 model as indicated by the Tudor Crown cipher. These iconic pieces of street furniture are increasingly rare and working examples such as this, even more so. The kiosk is enhanced by its proximity to a cluster of listed structures related to the Ulster Canal, including a bridge and lock (HB15/12/011B), a lock house (HB15/12/011A), and a mill (HB15/12/011 Orr/Sinton's Mill). The kiosk was likely sited to serve the mill and contributes to an interesting group.

General comments

Previous LQ HB15/LQ132