Summary
K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
Reasons for Designation
The K6 telephone kiosk outside the north-west corner of Sheffield town hall, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, 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. The K6 was a development from his earlier highly successful K2 telephone kiosk design of 1924, of neoclassical 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 remaining examples of the K6 continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes. A telephone call box is first marked in this location on the Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map published in 1935.
Details
K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
End of official list entry
