Pair of K6 Telephone Kiosks Outside Bush House
PAIR OF K6 TELEPHONE KIOSKS OUTSIDE BUSH HOUSE, ALDWYCH
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1396197
- Date first listed:
- 12-Nov-2010
- List Entry Name:
- Pair of K6 Telephone Kiosks Outside Bush House
- Statutory Address:
- PAIR OF K6 TELEPHONE KIOSKS OUTSIDE BUSH HOUSE, ALDWYCH
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1396197
- Date first listed:
- 12-Nov-2010
- List Entry Name:
- Pair of K6 Telephone Kiosks Outside Bush House
- Statutory Address 1:
- PAIR OF K6 TELEPHONE KIOSKS OUTSIDE BUSH HOUSE, ALDWYCH
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- PAIR OF K6 TELEPHONE KIOSKS OUTSIDE BUSH HOUSE, ALDWYCH
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- City of Westminster (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 30716 81027, TQ 30746 81038
Reasons for Designation
The K6 telephone kiosks at the Aldwych are recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * the kiosks are have a strong visual relationship with Bush House, and are close to other listed buildings including the Waldorf Hotel, India House and the Aldwych and Strand theatres; * they are located in a setting of particular interest, one of the grandest examples of Edwardian town planning in the capital; * Giles Gilbert Scott's design has special interest for its artistry and functionality as well its iconic status as a milestone of C20 industrial design.
Details
1900/0/10463 ALDWYCH
12-NOV-10 Pair of K6 telephone kiosks outside Bu
sh House
GV II
Two K6 telephone kiosks.
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.
These two kiosks are located at the junction of Kingsway and the Aldwych. These two streets were laid out in 1905 and comprise a wide, tree-lined boulevard (Kingsway) terminating in a grand crescent (Aldwych) with an underground tunnel for electric trams beneath. This was the London County Council's first large urban improvement scheme in central London and cut through older street patterns and buildings. The kiosks are placed on the axis of Kingsway, one to each side of the Grade II-listed Bush House which closes the vista at the end of the street.
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 two K6 telephone kiosks at the Aldwych are listed for the following principal reasons:
* the kiosks are have a strong visual relationship with Bush House, and are close to other listed buildings including the Waldorf Hotel, India House and the Aldwych and Strand theatres;
* they are located in a setting of particular interest, one of the grandest examples of Edwardian town planning in the capital;
* Giles Gilbert Scott's design has special interest for its artistry and functionality as well its iconic status as a milestone of C20 industrial design.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 507712
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 28-Jun-2026 at 07:24:53.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.