K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Cambridge
K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Bridge Street, Cambridge
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1416702
- Date first listed:
- 28-Feb-2014
- List Entry Name:
- K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Cambridge
- Statutory Address:
- K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Bridge Street, Cambridge
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:
- 1416702
- Date first listed:
- 28-Feb-2014
- List Entry Name:
- K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Cambridge
- Statutory Address 1:
- K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Bridge Street, Cambridge
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:
- K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Bridge Street, Cambridge
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Cambridgeshire
- District:
- Cambridge (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TL4473858943
Summary
K6 telephone kiosk
Reasons for Designation
The K6 telephone kiosk at the Quayside, Cambridge is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: an iconic example of industrial design, showing Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of Neoclassical forms for a modern technological function;
* Group value: it has a strong visual relationship with a number of nearby listed buildings, including Magdalene Bridge and Magdalene College Bright's Building.
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. 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. 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 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.
The K6 telephone kiosk at Cambridge has a strong visual link with a number of Grade II listed buildings, including Magdalene Bridge, no. 31 Magdalene Street and the Pickerel Inn.
Details
The K6 is a standardised design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in sides.
EXTERIOR: Horizontal and vertical glazing bars divide each glazed side into eight panes with flanking narrow margin lights. The Soane-inspired domed roof adorns the arched heads of each side, with a crown in relief above glazed panels inscribed with the word 'TELEPHONE'.
INTERIOR: Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 it is declared that the modern telecommunications equipment within the K6 is not of special architectural or historic interest.
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 14-Jun-2026 at 04:08:44.
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.