Summary
A K6 telephone kiosk.
Reasons for Designation
The K6 telephone kiosk in Milton Combe is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the K6 kiosk is recognised as an iconic milestone of C20 design;
* Intactness: despite the replacement of a few of the kiosk's glazed panes, it appears to survive intact;
* Group value: The telephone kiosk has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings collectively, and stands directly facing the Church of the Holy Spirit (Grade II).
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.
Details
The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in the door and sides and with the crowns, which have been painted gold, 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*. The glass panes survive, although a few panes to the NW elevation appear to be frosted replacements.
End of official list entry
