Summary

Telephone kiosk, Type K6, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and made by various contractors.

Description

Telephone kiosk, Type K6, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and made by various contractors.

MATERIALS: cast-iron, glass.

PLAN: the kiosk stands by the roadside at the south-east corner of the churchyard, adjacent to the Old Stores.

DESCRIPTION: the K6 is a standardised design of cast-iron painted red comprising a square kiosk with a shallow domed roof. The door and sides each have eight horizontal strips of glass with narrow margin lights. Above, in the top panels, are rectangular white display signs reading TELEPHONE with applied relief crowns over.

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 neoclassical 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.

The Yarpole kiosk stands by the roadside at the south-east corner of St Leonard’s churchyard, adjacent to the Old Stores. The church is listed at Grade II*, and a detached tower is listed at Grade I. Opposite the kiosk to the south is the Grade II-listed Virginia Cottage.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk in Yarpole is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as an iconic example of industrial design showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s adaptation of neoclassical forms for a modern technological function.

Historic interest:

* the K6 telephone kiosk was designed to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935 by the eminent architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, further developing his successful K2 telephone kiosk design of 1924.
Group value:

* for its contribution to the streetscape and proximity and visual relationship with a number of listed buildings.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q97365024

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

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy