Summary

A K6 telephone kiosk.

Description

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. The kiosk appears intact. It has modern telecommunications equipment inside*. It stands on the main street through the village, close to the church. The kiosk is approximately 14m from the listed Barn attached to the N of Littleton House (Grade II, NHLE 1214360), and 25m from the listed Cowsheds and attached stable (Grade II, NHLE 1214361). It has a slightly more distant relationship with the parish Church of St James (Grade II, NHLE 1288601) 70m away. The telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with these three listed buildings collectively, and in addition is within the West Littleton Conservation Area.

* 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.

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.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk at West Littleton, situated in a conservation area, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Design interest: the K6 kiosk is recognised as an iconic design which is of intrinsic interest;
* Degree of survival: this kiosk appears intact;
* Group value: this telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with two listed buildings collectively.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478209

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

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)