Summary

K6 telephone kiosk.

Description

K6 telephone kiosk.

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. It has modernised internal equipment and retains its glass windows.

The K6 telephone kiosk in Hursley stands on the S side of Collins Lane, adjoining a single-storey outbuilding attached to the rear of 76 Main Road.

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.

Reasons for Listing

The K6 telephone kiosk, Collins Lane, Hursley is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Design interest: as an iconic example of industrial design, showing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's adaptation of Neo-classical forms for a modern technological function;
* Group value: it has a strong visual relationship with at least two other listed buildings in close proximity.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q55696605

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

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings