Summary

K6 telephone kiosk designed in 1935 by Giles Gilbert Scott.

Description

MATERIALS: cast iron.

PLAN: square on plan.

EXTERIOR: the K6 is a standardised design, 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. It has rectangular white display signs, reading TELEPHONE beneath the shallow curved roof. All but three of the large panes of glass have been replaced with polycarbonate, and seventeen out of the forty-eight margin lights have been replaced.

The kiosk is located in the centre of the village in close proximity to three listed buildings: the Grade I listed medieval Church of St Mary which was restored by Pugin in the 1840s; the Grade II listed lychgate designed by Pugin; and the Grade II listed 52 Far Street, an C18 house.

INTERIOR: this has modernised internal equipment.

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 they continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.

The K6 is Wymeswold was originally located in Church Street but was moved in 1994 to its current location on The Stockwell.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk in Wymeswold is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Design: it is an iconic C20 industrial design by Giles Gilbert Scott;

* Group Value: it has a strong visual relationship with three listed buildings, one of which is the Grade I listed medieval Church of St Mary.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26676565

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas