| History of the Kiosk - Page 2 Introduced in 1927, the K4 kiosk was designed by the Post Office Engineering Department and was intended to combine a telephone kiosk with a Post Office. There was a post box and two stamp machines behind the kiosk and these proved to be too noisy during telephone conversations. Only fifty of these were ever made. The K5 was introduced in 1934 as an attempt to take the best of the design of the K2 and incorporate it into a more appropriate package. It was designed as a portable kiosk, which would be easily assembled as dismantled as required. Constructed from steel-faced plywood it was intended for use at exhibitions and other temporary locations.
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In 1935 the K6 was commissioned to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Once again Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was called upon to design the new kiosk. Similar to the K2, the K6 was smaller and had less detail but still recognisable as a Gilbert Scott design. The "Jubilee Kiosk" appeared on the streets in 1936 and became the first standard kiosk to be introduced nationwide. More than 60,000 of these were introduced throughout Britain and they have become a much-loved landmark. The K7 was commissioned in 1958 as an attempt to try out new materials. Initially, it met the approval of the public but could not withstand the rigours of the British climate. Douglas Scott and Bruce Martin were commissioned to produce the design for the K8. The new kiosk was to incorporate all the best features from previous kiosks. It was made from cast iron with full-length toughened glass panes. This was to be the last design for the telephone box under Post Office ownership and approximately 4,000 were introduced. |
