K8 Telephone Kiosk

Reasons for Designation

The K8 telephone kiosk in New Beach Holiday Park
is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It is a rare survival of this type of once common telephone kiosk, first introduced in 1968, in its original colour and still in use as a payphone.
* Its design by Bruce Martin for the General Post Office displays innovative construction techniques resulting in an interesting translation of Scott's iconic design for the K2 and K6, and is the last in the series of red telephone kiosks.
* It contributes to the understanding of the historic development of the telecommunications industry and the use of public telephone kiosks before the introduction and widespread use of mobile phones.

Details

DYMCHURCH

437/0/10005 NEW BEACH HOLIDAY CENTRE 01-OCT-10 K8 telephone kiosk

II Telephone kiosk. Designed by Bruce Martin and introduced from 1968.

The kiosk comprises six cast iron parts and an aluminium door. The door and the two sides of the kiosk contain large rectangular sheets of toughened glass set in frames with rounded corners, the fourth side has a solid panel set in a frame. It has a square plan with a flat roof dome that is glazed with toughened glass set on four sides with rectangular panes, again with rounded corners, three bearing the word 'TELEPHONE' in black lettering on a white background, the fourth, above the solid panel, has clear glass. The kiosk is painted red.

The kiosk is in good condition with a working payphone inside. It stands in front of the park's main building at the centre of the site, and is visible from the main road.

HISTORY: The K8 was built to a design by Bruce Martin following a competition held by the General Post Office (GPO) in 1965. Bruce Martin (1917 -) studied engineering at the University of Hong Kong before qualifying in architecture at the Architectural Association. He worked for the architectural department at Hertfordshire County Council and became part of the group that was responsible for the so-called 'Hertfordshire Experiment': a progressive primary school building plan using pioneering construction techniques, pre-fabricated buildings and child-centred design focus.

The main requirement within the GPO's design brief for the K8 was that it should be easy to re-assemble on site and easy to maintain and/or repair in the future. This condition was met, and unlike the K6, the K8 was given interchangeable components. The design brief was also specific about measurements and lifespan. The new kiosk had to last for at least 50 years and the design should be recognised as the UK's next generation of red telephone boxes.

Bruce Martin analysed Scott's K6 meticulously, and simplified and reduced its high number of components to ones which could be used flexibly to suit the site of the kiosk. Eventually, the K8 was given only seven principal components. There were two variations of the roof canopy, one which had a cast lip framing the 'TELEPHONE' signs, and the other where the cast lip was continuous around the canopy, framing only the sides and top of the signs. This kiosk is an example of the latter. The reasons for this variation are unknown, but both types were widely used. The K8 first appeared on the streets in 1968 and, by 1983, 11,000 had been manufactured for the UK by the Lion Foundry.

During the 1980s, British Telecom (BT) replaced large numbers of K8s with newer kiosks and some of these removed kiosks were then sold on. A number of K8 kiosks have been identified on privately owned holiday parks such as New Beach, possibly ones which were purchased from BT at this time. Although this kiosk does not stand in its original location, it retains its original colour and function. The kiosk also has an interesting setting, visible from the public highway, to the south west are a number of small, flat-roofed, timber-clad holiday chalets of mid-century date, which provide a fitting backdrop to the classic 1960s design of the K8.

SOURCES British Telecom, Britain's Public Payphones - A Social History, (1984) Croft, C, 'Finding Bruce Martin' The Architects' Journal, (30 January 2008) Stamp, G, Telephone Boxes: Curiosities of the British Street, (1989)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The K8 telephone kiosk at New Beach Holiday Park, Dymchurch, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reason: * It is a rare survival of this type of once common telephone kiosk, first introduced in 1968, in its original colour and still in use as a payphone. * Its design by Bruce Martin for the General Post Office displays innovative construction techniques resulting in an interesting translation of Scott's iconic design for the K2 and K6, and is the last in the series of red telephone kiosks. * It contributes to the understanding of the historic development of the telecommunications industry and the use of public telephone kiosks before the introduction and widespread use of mobile phones.

TR1230531495

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

506882

Legacy System:

LBS

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