{"id":25009,"date":"2020-01-10T16:05:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T16:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ihbconline.co.uk\/newsachive\/?p=25009"},"modified":"2020-01-10T16:05:18","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T16:05:18","slug":"uks-iconic-first-red-public-telephone-box-upgraded-to-gii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=25009","title":{"rendered":"UK’s iconic first red public telephone box upgraded to GII*"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The K2 prototype telephone box situated outside the Royal Academy in London \u2013 built as part of the 1924 competition that gave rise to the iconic design and first listed at Grade II in 1986 \u2013 has had its listing upgraded to Grade II*.<\/h3>\n

image: Open Government Licence v3.0<\/em><\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

GOV.UK writes:<\/p>\n

Heritage Minister Helen Whately has announced that the prototype for the UK\u2019s first red public telephone box has been upgraded to Grade II* in recognition of its iconic design status. Created in 1924 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880 – 1960), the prototype K2 (Kiosk No.2) telephone box formed the basis of the design of future telephone boxes across the country. The timber K2 prototype was designed for a competition launched by the Royal Fine Arts Commission at the request of the Postmaster General to find an alternate to the unpopular concrete K1 structure which had been introduced in 1921.<\/p>\n

Scott\u2019s timber prototype was initially displayed in 1924 outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square with four other designs, and in 1925 it was announced that the K2 telephone box was the one \u2018most suitable for erection in busy thoroughfares of large towns\u2019.\u00a0 Scott\u2019s winning design was originally intended to be made of steel and painted silver with a blue-green interior, however, upon selection of the K2 design, the General Post Office chose to make it of cast-iron and painted red.<\/p>\n

Heritage Minister Helen Whately said: \u2018The red telephone box is an internationally famous British icon and I am delighted that we are able to protect the first of its kind. In an increasingly digital world, it is important to preserve structures – like the K2 prototype phone box – that have played a part in our nation\u2019s industrial story.\u2019<\/p>\n

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive, Historic England said: \u2018We are pleased that the K2 telephone kiosk prototype at the entrance of Burlington House has been upgraded to Grade II*. This unique timber structure by the celebrated British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott represents a milestone in industrial design. Inspired by Sir John Soane\u2019s distinctive 1816 tomb to his wife and son in St Pancras Gardens, it was the winning entry for a major design competition in 1924 and formed the basis of the famous red phone boxes which are found across the country and known throughout the world. Still sitting where it was placed after judging, the K2 prototype remains a striking feature at Burlington House, and its protection is now further enhanced as an important part of our nation\u2019s industrial heritage.\u2019<\/p>\n

After the successful competition, the first cast iron K2 was installed in London in 1926, with more than 1,700 appearing across the city over the course of the next decade. Only a small number were placed outside London and just over 200 K2s survive today. The K2 was replaced in 1935 by the streamlined, more compact and cost-effective K6 model which was also designed by Scott and is the most common red telephone box still in existence today.<\/p>\n

The telephone box prototype in question still remains where it was placed in 1924, at the western side of the entrance portal to Burlington House, home of the Royal Academy. First listed at Grade II in 1986, its upgraded status better recognises its more than special architectural and historic interest.\u00a0 Sir Giles Gilbert Scott was one of the most important modern British architects and is famous for iconic British landmarks such as Battersea Power Station and Liverpool\u2019s Anglican Cathedral. In 2006 the K2 telephone box was voted one of Britain\u2019s top ten iconic designs.<\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The K2 prototype telephone box situated outside the Royal Academy in London \u2013 built as part of the 1924 competition that gave rise to the iconic design and first listed at Grade II in 1986 \u2013 has had its listing … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sector-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25009"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25011,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25009\/revisions\/25011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}