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K6 telephone kiosk

A Grade II Listed Building in Mousehole, Cornwall

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.0836 / 50°5'0"N

Longitude: -5.5391 / 5°32'20"W

OS Eastings: 146920

OS Northings: 26383

OS Grid: SW469263

Mapcode National: GBR DXPG.KKQ

Mapcode Global: VH05P.Y528

Plus Code: 9C2P3FM6+C9

Entry Name: K6 telephone kiosk

Listing Date: 27 October 2016

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1440015

ID on this website: 101440015

Location: Mousehole, Cornwall, TR19

County: Cornwall

Civil Parish: Penzance

Built-Up Area: Mousehole

Traditional County: Cornwall

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Cornwall

Church of England Parish: Paul

Church of England Diocese: Truro

Tagged with: Telephone booth

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Summary


K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott for the General Post Office, on the occasion of King George V's Silver Jubilee.

Description


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. There are rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath the shallow-curved roof. It has modernised internal equipment.

The kiosk stand in the centre of Mousehole, at the junction of three main roads, and faces onto the seafront. The lettering of TELEPHONE is slightly faded. Attached to the kiosk's roof is an oval, yellow direction sign in a red stand, reading POST OFFICE. The kiosk stands within sight of several listed buildings. It stands next to Harbour Office (Grade II), Cliff Haven (Grade II), opposite the Mousehole Cenotaph (Grade II) and diagonally across from the Ship Inn (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, to the SE of Harbour Office, Fore Street, Mousehole is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest: it is an iconic example of industrial design, showing Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of Neoclassical forms for a modern technological function;
* Group value: it has a strong visual relationship with a number of listed buildings.

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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