Pair of K6 Telephone Kiosks Outside Bush House London, England
Listed Building Data
Pair of K6 Telephone Kiosks Outside Bush House has been designated a Grade II listed building in England with the following information, which has been imported from the National Heritage List for England. Please note that not all available data may be shown here, minor errors and/or formatting may have occurred during transcription, and some information may have become outdated since listing.
- List Entry ID
- 1396197
- Listing Type
- listed building
- Grade
- II
- Date Listed
- 12 November 2010
- Name
- PAIR OF K6 TELEPHONE KIOSKS OUTSIDE BUSH HOUSE
- Location
- PAIR OF K6 TELEPHONE KIOSKS OUTSIDE BUSH HOUSE, ALDWYCH
- District
- City of Westminster
- County
- Greater London Authority
- Grid Reference
- TQ 30716 81027
- Easting
- 530716.1210
- Northing
- 181026.6960
Listed Building Reasons
Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.
The K6 telephone kiosks at the Aldwych are recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons: the kiosks are have a strong visual relationship with Bush House, and are close to other listed buildings including the Waldorf Hotel, India House and the Aldwych and Strand theatres; they are located in a setting of particular interest, one of the grandest examples of Edwardian town planning in the capital; * Giles Gilbert Scott's design has special interest for its artistry and functionality as well its iconic status as a milestone of C20 industrial design.
Listed Building Description
Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.
1900/0/10463 ALDWYCH 12-NOV-10 Pair of K6 telephone kiosks outside Bu sh House
GV II Two K6 telephone kiosks.
DESCRIPTION: The K6 is a standardised design made of cast iron, painted red overall with long horizontal glazing in 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.
These two kiosks are located at the junction of Kingsway and the Aldwych. These two streets were laid out in 1905 and comprise a wide, tree-lined boulevard (Kingsway) terminating in a grand crescent (Aldwych) with an underground tunnel for electric trams beneath. This was the London County Council's first large urban improvement scheme in central London and cut through older street patterns and buildings. The kiosks are placed on the axis of Kingsway, one to each side of the Grade II-listed Bush House which closes the vista at the end of the street.
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 10,000 K6s were eventually produced. In the 1960s many were replaced with far plainer kiosk types. But many still remain, and continue to be an iconic feature on Britain's streetscapes.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The two K6 telephone kiosks at the Aldwych are listed for the following principal reasons: the kiosks are have a strong visual relationship with Bush House, and are close to other listed buildings including the Waldorf Hotel, India House and the Aldwych and Strand theatres; they are located in a setting of particular interest, one of the grandest examples of Edwardian town planning in the capital; * Giles Gilbert Scott's design has special interest for its artistry and functionality as well its iconic status as a milestone of C20 industrial design.
