Description

HONITON

597/0/10006 IN FRONT OF 128 HIGH STREET
08-NOV-10 K6 TELEPHONE KIOSK

II
K6 telephone kiosk

DESCRIPTION: The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in door and sides and with the crowns situated on the top panels being applied not perforated. There are rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath the shallow-curved roof. It has modernised internal equipment. It is in good condition (2009).

The kiosk stands on a small base at the side of the High Street that runs through the centre of the village. It is situated directly in front of 128 High Street (Grade II) and 10m to the west of 130 High Street (Grade II). Additionally, on the opposite side of the road, approximately 15m north, stand 145 High Street (Grade II) and Manor House (Grade II*). The kiosk therefore forms a close visual group with four listed buildings.

HISTORY: The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. The K6 was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 for the General Post Office, on the occasion of King George V's Silver Jubilee. The K6 was a development from his earlier highly successful K2 telephone kiosk design of 1924, of Neo-classical inspiration. The K6 was more streamlined aesthetically, more compact and more cost-effective to mass produce. Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960) was one of the most important of modern British architects; his many celebrated commissions include the Anglican cathedral of Liverpool and Battersea power station. The K2 and K6 telephone kiosks can be said to represent a very thoughtful adaptation of architectural tradition to contemporary technological requirements. Well over 70,000 K6s were eventually produced. In the 1960s many were replaced with far plainer kiosk types. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The K6 telephone kiosk in Honiton, Devon, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It has a strong visual relationship with four listed buildings, all of which stand within a 15m radius
* It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk in Honiton, Devon, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It has a strong visual relationship with four listed buildings, all of which stand within a 15m radius
* It is a representative example within a village setting of this important C20 industrial design

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26674703

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)