Summary
A K6 telephone kiosk, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 for the General Post Office,
Reasons for Designation
The K6 telephone kiosk adjacent to 6 Duke St, Chelmsford is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
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. It was a development from his earlier highly successful, Neo-classical, K2 telephone kiosk of 1924. 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 represent a very thoughtful adaptation of architectural tradition to contemporary technological requirements: well over 70,000 K6's were eventually produced. In the1960's many were replaced with the new kiosk type, but many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.
Details
A K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. It is a standard design made of cast-iron, with long horizontal glazing in the door and sides, and with crowns, situated on the top panels, applied not perforated. There are rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath the shallow-curved roof. The kiosk is painted in the standard colour of Post Office Red 539, which was selected to match the colour of Post Office letter boxes.
End of official list entry
