Telephone Kiosk at

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A freestanding cast-iron K6 type Telephone kiosk erected post-1955 based on designs by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, located to the west side of the former Northern Bank in Waring Street / North Street. The telephone kiosk is a later K6 model indicated by the St. Edwards Crown cipher (earlier models have the Tudor Crown cipher pre-1953).

Manufactured in cast-iron, with small-paned sides and door, glazed with Perspex and a shallow domed roof.

The K6 telephone kiosk is approximately 8ft 3in/251cm high and 3ft 5in/91cm wide.

Setting

Located at the west side of the listed former Northern Bank in North Street (HB26/50/061). Erected on the footpath between the Cathedral Conservation Area and the Belfast City Centre Conservation Area but not actually in either.

Roof: Cast-iron
Walling Cast-iron
Window: Cast-iron
RWG: N/A

Historical information

The telephone kiosk does not appear on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Edition OS Maps and was probably installed c.1952 indicated by St Edwards Crown on the fascia.

In the 1920s a competition, organised by the Metropolitan Boroughs Joint Standing Committee and the Royal Fine Art Commission was arranged to address the proliferation of different telephone kiosks and settle on a single design. By 1924, the invitation to submit designs was advertised and, from the designs submitted, the winning entry was that by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was born on 9th November 1880 (he died on 8th February 1960) and came from a pre-eminent family of architects. His father was George Gilbert Scott Junior and his grandfather Sir George Gilbert Scott Senior. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott produced iconic designs in Britain including those for Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station. His design for Liverpool Cathedral was submitted in 1903, when he was just twenty-two years old.

With the successful design chosen, the Post Office introduced the K2 (Kiosk No 2). Over the succeeding decades a total of six further designs were produced making a total of eight individual K-"Kiosk" designs.

The K6 kiosk was commissioned in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. The design of the "Jubilee Kiosk" lead to the first, true, universal kiosk, and one which didn't repeat any of the mistakes of the earlier kiosks. Although the K2 and K3 kiosks were aesthetically pleasing they were costly - in the case of the K2 - and difficult - in the case of the K3 - to produce. Fortunately the Post Office again commissioned Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to design the new kiosk.
The K6 was similar to his design for the K2, but was smaller and had simpler detailing. The pierced crown on the dome was replaced with a moulded dome; ventilation slots were inserted below the "Telephone" where previously the pierced crown provided ventilation; the arrangement of glazing bars was altered for narrower outer panes and a wider inner pane; the moulding at the bottom of the door was omitted. This made it cheaper to produce, and therefore easier to site across the country - it was lighter to transport and required a smaller footprint. The design was still unmistakably a Gilbert Scott design.
Scott's K6 kiosk appeared in 1936, followed by a more vandal-proof Mk II version in 1939 and by 1960 some 60,000 examples existed.

In 1953 the new Queen, Elizabeth II, decided to depart from the practice of using the purely symbolic 'Tudor Crown' as the symbol of her government, and instead use a representation of the actual crown generally used for British coronations, the St Edward's Crown. This new symbol therefore began to appear on the fascias of K6 kiosks. 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. As the crown in this particular example has been slotted in, we may assume it is post-1955.

The Post Office allowed rural examples to be painted in different colours including green, yellow, white and battleship grey. Red was chosen to make the kiosk stand out against its surroundings in case of an emergency telephone call. The K6 became the most populous K-kiosk and is the most recognisable of all K-kiosk designs.

References:

Primary Sources

1. First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. Second Edition OS Map (1860)
3. Third Edition OS Map (1938 revision)

Secondary Sources

1. www.heritage.elettra.co.uk
2. www.wikipedia.org

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A freestanding cast-iron K6 type Telephone kiosk, erected post-1955, based on designs by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The telephone kiosk is a later K6 model, indicated by the St. Edwards Crown cipher (earlier models have the Tudor Crown cipher, pre 1953). It retains much of its original fabric and remains in use in its town centre location. This type of kiosk is becoming more rare as it is replaced by modern facilities and phone usage changes.

General comments

Between the Cathedral Conservation Area and the Belfast City Centre Conservation Area but not actually in a conservation area.

Ref listing query HB26/LQ223