History in Structure

K6 telephone kiosk

A Grade II Listed Building in Nympsfield, Gloucestershire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.7027 / 51°42'9"N

Longitude: -2.2888 / 2°17'19"W

OS Eastings: 380140

OS Northings: 200475

OS Grid: SO801004

Mapcode National: GBR 0LQ.B4F

Mapcode Global: VH953.8GWL

Plus Code: 9C3VPP36+3F

Entry Name: K6 telephone kiosk

Listing Date: 21 February 2012

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1406878

ID on this website: 101406878

Location: Nympsfield, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL10

County: Gloucestershire

District: Stroud

Civil Parish: Nympsfield

Built-Up Area: Nympsfield

Traditional County: Gloucestershire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Gloucestershire

Church of England Parish: Uley with Owlpen and Nympsfield

Church of England Diocese: Gloucester

Tagged with: K6 telephone box

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Summary


A 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 generally in good condition, and largely intact. The paving on which it stands has partially sunk to one side, leaving the kiosk leaning slightly out of perpendicular.

The kiosk stands prominently in the centre of this small settlement, on the roadside, within the Nympsfield Conservation Area. It is situated immediately in front of the Grade II listed Street Farmhouse, and its adjacent barn (Grade II) and shelter sheds (Grade II).

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 Listing


The K6 telephone kiosk in Nympsfield is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* It is an iconic example of industrial design, showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of neoclassical forms for a modern technological function
* It is a good example of the type, situated at the heart of the village and its conservation area, with close visual relationships to three nearby buildings, each listed at Grade II

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.

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