Summary
K6 telephone kiosk.
Reasons for Designation
The K6 telephone kiosk, High Street, Droxford is listed at Grade II for the following principal reason:
* Architectural interest: as an iconic example of C20 industrial design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott with a strong visual relationship with two listed buildings
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 a new kiosk type, 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 situated on the top panels being applied not perforated. There are rectangular white display signs, reading 'TELEPHONE' beneath the shallow-curved roof. The K6 kiosk lies in a prominent location in the historic core of Droxford at the junctions of Mill Lane and the High Street. It has a strong visual relationship with at least two listed buildings including Sarum House and Cherwell Cottage, both Grade II, located on the opposite, W side of the High Street. The K6 appears intact, although some glazing has been replaced with alternative materials. It has modernised internal equipment*. * Pursuant to s1(5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that this aforementioned feature is not of special architectural or historic interest.
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