The K6 kiosk is identified as Britain’s red Telephone Box; in fact eight kiosk types were introduced by the General Post Office between 1926 and 1983. The K6 was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George V in 1935. Some 60,000 examples were installed across Britain, which is why the K6 has come to represent the red Telephone Box. Over 11,000 K6s remain and they are the most visible examples of the eight kiosk types.
British Telecom began to withdraw the phones from service where they were no longer used. They were often offerred to communities, like Parish Councils to adopt and adapt. Many found new uses as libraries or defibrillators access points. Others were simply left to decay.
The series of images documents the range of uses and decay of the once useful piece of technology. Reminding us of the trade-off between utility and aesthetics and the choices society needs to make to move forward yet find a place for nostalgia.
