Post Office telephone kiosk No. 6, 1936-1968
- supplier:
- General Post Office
- designer:
- Giles Gilbert Scott
Post Office telephone kiosk No. 6, introduced in 1936, with crown motifs to top panels (the Queen's Crown of Scotland), designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott for the General Post Office, made by the Carron Company, Falkirk, Scotland, c.1971
Post Office telephone kiosk No. 6, introduced in 1936 with crown motifs in the top panel, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott for the General Post Office, made by the Carron Company, Falkirk, Scotland, 1936-1968.
The K6 kiosk is the most common red telephone box found in Britain. It was designed in 1936 by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, for the Silver Jubilee of King George V. It was the first kiosk to be widely installed: there had been restrictions on how many kiosks could be installed due to the high cost.
The Post Office introduced concessions allowing all towns and villages with a Post Office to apply for telephone kiosks: 8,000 were installed as part of the Jubilee concession. In total, around 60,000 K6 kiosks were installed across the UK, with over 10,000 still around today. The boxes themselves were made by a Scottish company, Carron Steel, with the internal fixtures and fitting being provided by the Post Office.
The Phone and Phone Booth Assemblage Considered as Mise en Abyme by Will Self
Inspired by the 706L Modern Phone and Post Office Telephone Kiosk No. 6, this audio piece explores the impact of telephone communication on our sense of self. Commissioned for the Science Museum Group during the COVID-19 pandemic, this piece is part of a series of artworks which respond to telephone technologies in the Science Museum Group Collection and reflect on the recent rise in voice and video calls.
Details
- Category:
- Telecommunications
- Object Number:
- 1971-402
- Measurements:
-
overall: 3000 mm x 920 mm x 920 mm, 750 kg
- type:
- telephone box
- credit:
- Purchased from Carron Phoenix Limited
Parts
Key for Coin Box of Post Office telephone kiosk No. 6, 1936-1968
- Object Number:
- 1971-402/2
- type:
- key - hardware