Description

623/0/10081 MARINE PARADE
30-JUN-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 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 kiosk is intact and in good condition, although there are small patches of flaking red paint (2009).

This telephone kiosk is situated on the seafront immediately to the north of the entrance to the Grade II* listed Eastbourne Pier. Approximately 35m to the west stands a bronze statue of a soldier of the Royal Sussex Regiment (Grade II*). The Belle Vue Hotel, listed at Grade II, stands to the west of the kiosks on the opposite side of the road.

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 on Marine Parade, Eastbourne, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings, two of which are Grade II*
* It is a representative example within a coastal setting of this iconic C20 industrial design

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk on Marine Parade, Eastbourne, is recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings, two of which are Grade II*
* It is a representative example within a coastal setting of this iconic C20 industrial design

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26673002

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

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)