Building record 662/0/55 - K6 Telephone Kiosk, The Green

K6 telephone box; 1935; designed by Giles Gilbert Scott; Cast iron, glass

EXTERIOR: the kiosk has a single glazed door and two similarly glazed sides, all with narrow panes on either side of horizontal glazing, beneath a domical roof. In the segmental upper structure on each side is a relief crown, placed above a narrow glazed panel bearing the word TELEPHONE. This kiosk is painted red.

HISTORY: the K6 telephone kiosk is a milestone of C20 industrial design. The K6 was designed by 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. 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.

<1> Historic England, 2009, K6 Telephone Kiosk, The Green, Abthorpe (Designation Advice Report). SNN112517.

Record last edited

May 12 2025 9:28AM