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 blue rectangular display signs, reading E-MAIL + TEXT + PHONE beneath the shallow-curved roof. It has modernised internal equipment* and retains its glass windows.

The K6 telephone kiosk in Bishopstone stands in the centre of the village, at the junction between Hockerbench and Cues Lane. The kiosk stands in close proximity to three listed buildings: Bishopstone Church of England School (Grade II) approximately 15m to the south-east; the Old Mill (Grade II) approximately 25m to the south-west and Sayers Bank (Grade II) approximately 25m to the north-east. The telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with these listed buildings collectively.

* 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. It 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 a new kiosk type. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk in Bishopstone, Swindon, Wiltshire is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest: the K6 kiosk is recognised as an iconic milestone of C20 design;
* Intactness: the kiosk survives intact;
* Group value: The kiosk has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478522

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

• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)