Summary

A K6 telephone kiosk, from a design of 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

Description

The kiosk stands on the pavement to the south-east of the gates, railings and piers of Tate Britain (National Heritage List for England reference 1267605, listed at Grade II), and the Tate Britain itself (NHLE reference 1222913), which is listed at Grade II*. Additionally it has a visual relationship with the statue of Sir James Robert McGrigor (NHLE reference 1066502), and the Royal Medical Corps Officers Mess and Commandants House (NHLE reference1376570), which are both listed at Grade II, and stand 50m to the south-west. The telephone kiosk has a collectively strong visual relationship with all four of these listed buildings.

The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in door and sides and with the crowns situated on the top panels being applied not perforated. The kiosk is painted red and has original rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath its shallow curved roof.

INTERIOR: all glass is intact; the kiosk houses operational C21 telephone equipment*.

* Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that these aforementioned features are not of special architectural or historic interest.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 23/11/2016

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 Neo-classical 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 far plainer kiosk types. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes. The K6 Kiosk outside the Tate Britain bears the King's crown, dating it to before 1952.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk outside the Tate Britain on Millbank is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Design interest: it is an iconic C20 industrial design by Giles Gilbert Scott;

* Group value: the telephone kiosk has a strong collective visual relationship with four listed buildings.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66477696

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

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)