Summary
K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
Description
K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in the 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. The original display sign windows have been replaced; the two side windows have opaque white glazing and the front window has been painted black.
The K6 is situated on rising ground at the south-west corner of Airton village green and stands against the garden wall of the listed Vipoint House and Airton Cottage, which is the former village post office; it has a strong visual relationship with, and stands in close proximity to, the listed The Manor House approximately 21m to the north-west, and The Green approximately 50m to the north. The telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with these three listed buildings collectively.
History
The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. The K6 was designed by Sir 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 neoclassical inspiration. The K6 was more streamlined aesthetically, more compact and more cost-effective to mass produce. Sir 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 a far plainer new kiosk type. Remaining examples continue to be an iconic cherished feature on Britain's streetscapes.
Reasons for Listing
The K6 telephone kiosk, Airton is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* as an iconic example of industrial design, showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of neoclassical forms for a modern technological function.
Historic interest:
* the K6 telephone kiosk was designed in 1935 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V, by the eminent architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, further developing his successful K2 telephone kiosk design of 1924.
Group value:
* for its contribution to the streetscape and its strong visual relationship with the listed Manor House, The Green and Vipoint House and Airton Cottage, the latter formerly the village post office which also provides a direct contextual relationship with the kiosk.
External Links
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
Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)