Summary

K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

Description

K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

The K6 is a standardised design made of cast-iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in the doors 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.

It stands on the western side of the B6160, against the north-east gable of the Olde Institute, at the centre of the village of Starbotton. There are three Grade II-listed buildings in the vicinity: Beck Side (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) 1174141), approximately 65m to the north; Coates Lane Farmhouse (NHLE 1173567), approximately 41m to the north-east, and the Post House (NHLE 1316789), approximately 12m to the south. The telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with these three listed buildings.

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 remaining examples of the K6 continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

Reasons for Listing

Starbotton K6 Telephone Kiosk 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 adaption 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 its strong visual relationship with three listed buildings: Beck Side, Coates Lane Farmhouse, and the Post House, and for its particular contextual relationship with the Post House, which was the former village Post Office.

External Links

• Historic England Listing

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

• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)