K6 Telephone Kiosk

Reasons for Designation

The K6 telephone kiosk in Litchborough is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons: * It is an iconic example of industrial design, showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of Neoclassical forms for a modern technological function. * It has group value with three listed buildings: St Martin's Church (grade II*), Litchborough Farmhouse and attached wall (grade II), and the Old Red Lion Public House (grade II).

Details

LITCHBOROUGH

1735/0/10011 BANBURY ROAD
04-MAR-09 K6 Telephone Kiosk

GV II
Telephone kiosk of K6 type, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and made by various contractors.

MATERIALS: Cast iron.

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. It is not in good condition currently (2009), the red paint is flaking in places and there is a substantial amount of rust. It is unaltered and retains its original configuration.

The kiosk stands on a wide grass verge in the heart of the Conservation Area, adjacent to the high ironstone wall of the Old Rectory. The kiosk has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings: the grade II* listed church of St Martin (medieval), the grade II listed Litchborough Farmhouse and attached wall (mid C18), and the grade II listed Old Red Lion Public House (late C17). The church tower, farmhouse, pub and kiosk form a single visual composition when seen from the east.

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 DESIGNATION:
The K6 telephone kiosk in Litchborough, situated in a Conservation Area, is designated at grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* It kiosk has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings: St Martin's Church (grade II*), Litchborough Farmhouse and attached wall (grade II), and the Old Red Lion Public House (grade II).
* It is an iconic example of industrial design, showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of Neoclassical forms for a modern technological function
SP6333554315

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

506168

Legacy System:

LBS

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