Summary
A pair of K6 telephone kiosks.
Reasons for Designation
The pair of K6-type telephone kiosks outside 136 High Street, Billericay, Essex are designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: they are an iconic industrial design of the C20 by Giles Gilbert Scott;
* Group Value: they have a strong visual relationship with more than one listed building.
History
The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. It 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 a new kiosk type. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.
Details
A pair of K6 telephone kiosks, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935.
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