Summary

K6 telephone kiosk, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935.

Description

The K6 telephone kiosk is a standardised design, comprising a rectangular cast-iron box, c.2.4m (eight ft) in height and square on plan, with a shallow domed roof. The glazed door and side panels are divided by glazing bars into eight horizontal glazed panels with vertical marginal glazing bars. The back panel also has this moulding but is unglazed. The upper section has white illuminated signage panels on all four sides, inscribed ‘TELEPHONE’. Above each of these is a Tudor crown emblem, in use on K6 kiosks until c.1953. The telephone equipment inside is modern.

This K6 kiosk was probably installed in its present location in the 1990s. It stands at the south end of Old Bond Street near the junction with Burlington Gardens and has a strong visual relationship with several listed buildings.

History

The K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. First commissioned in 1935 to mark the occasion of King George V’s silver jubilee, it was an adaptation by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott of his highly successful K2 kiosk of 1924, a neoclassical design inspired in turn by the work of Sir John Soane in the early 1800s. The K6 was visually more streamlined, more compact and more cost-effective to mass produce. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960) was one of the most important British architects of the first half of the C20; his many celebrated commissions include the Anglican cathedral of Liverpool and Battersea power station. The K2 and K6 telephone kiosks represent a thoughtful adaptation of architectural tradition to contemporary technological requirements. The K6 remained in production until the 1960s, by which time well over 70,000 had been produced. In the later C20 many were replaced with new kiosk types but large numbers still survive as iconic features of Britain's streetscapes.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk at Old Bond Street, City of Westminster is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Design interest: it is an iconic C20 industrial design by Giles Gilbert Scott;
* Group value: it has a strong visual relationship with several listed buildings and is located in the Mayfair Conservation Area, to which it contributes positively.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q27087665

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

• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)