Summary

A K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

Description

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, blank, beneath the shallow-curved roof. The kiosk has been relocated, prior to which the telephone equipment had already been removed and has been replaced with shelves.

History

The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 for the General Post Office, on the occasion of King George V's Silver Jubilee and 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 modern British architects; his many celebrated commissions include the Anglican Cathedral of Liverpool (Grade I, NHLE 1361681) and Battersea Power Station (Grade II*, NHLE 1357620). 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 new kiosk type. Many still remain, however, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streets.

Though it is not clear when the telephone call box in Horringer was first installed, it was originally located adjacent to King William Cottage, a Grade II listed building that had been the village post office since at least the 1880s (NHLE 1298945). Its proximity to the building rather than to the street reduced its visibility. Following the removal of the telephone equipment in the early C21 and the closure of the Post Office, the kiosk became vulnerable to neglect and vandalism. Under the new ownership of the Parish Council the kiosk was conserved in 2016 and moved to a safer position on Meadow Drive in 2019.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk at Meadow Drive, Horringer, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, 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 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935 by the eminent architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, further developing his successful K2 telephone kiosk design of 1924.
Group value:

* for its strong visual relationship with the Grade II listed Ashdown Cottage (NHLE 1298911).

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26586357

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

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  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)