History in Structure

K6 kiosk

A Grade II Listed Building in Blockley, Gloucestershire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 52.0128 / 52°0'45"N

Longitude: -1.7622 / 1°45'44"W

OS Eastings: 416415

OS Northings: 234952

OS Grid: SP164349

Mapcode National: GBR 4NV.Z3W

Mapcode Global: VHB19.DNRW

Plus Code: 9C4W267Q+44

Entry Name: K6 kiosk

Listing Date: 17 April 2013

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1414268

ID on this website: 101414268

Location: Blockley, Cotswold, Gloucestershire, GL56

County: Gloucestershire

District: Cotswold

Civil Parish: Blockley

Built-Up Area: Blockley

Traditional County: Gloucestershire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Gloucestershire

Church of England Parish: Blockley St Peter and St Paul

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 appears intact.

The kiosk stands prominently in the centre of the settlement, on the roadside, within the Blockley Conservation Area. It is situated immediately in front of the Grade II listed Old Coach House (now the village shop and café) and has a close relationship with other listed buildings on all sides.

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 Bell Lane, Blockley 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 nearby buildings, each listed at Grade II, and situated immediately outside the Grade II-listed Old Coach House, which was the village shop at the time of assessment (2013).

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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