K8 telephone kiosk

Summary

A K8 telephone kiosk to a design by Bruce Martin that was introduced across England from 1968. Although once common, very few K8s survive, as such this example reflects the more recent history of the country’s telecommunications industry.

Reasons for Designation

The K8 telephone kiosk at Lone Pine Park, Ferndown is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* despite the removal of the payphone, this is a nationally rare survival of a once common telephone kiosk, first introduced in 1968;
* for Bruce Martin’s meticulously simplified and updated design which is immediately recognisable as the post-war iteration of Scott’s earlier K2 and K6 kiosks.

Historic interest:

* the K8 is the last generation of the red public telephone box;
* it contributes to the understanding of the historic development of the telecommunications industry in England before the introduction and subsequent widespread use of mobile phones.

History

The K8 was built to a design by Bruce Martin following a competition held by the General Post Office (GPO) in 1965. Bruce Martin (1917-2015) studied engineering at the University of Hong Kong before qualifying in architecture at the Architectural Association. He worked for the architectural department at Hertfordshire County Council and became part of the group that was responsible for the so-called 'Hertfordshire Experiment': a progressive primary school building plan using pioneering construction techniques, pre-fabricated buildings and a child-centred design focus.

The main requirement within the GPO's design brief for the K8 was that it should be easy to re-assemble on site and easy to maintain and/or repair in the future. This condition was met, and unlike the K6, the K8 was given interchangeable components. The design brief was also specific about measurements and lifespan. The new kiosk had to last for at least 50 years and the design should be recognised as the UK's next generation of red telephone boxes. As a result, Bruce Martin analysed Scott's K6 meticulously, and simplified and reduced its high number of components. His K8 design offered a simplified contemporary approach with clean lines and curves that eschewed the explicit neo-classical references of Scott’s designs.

The K8 was given only seven principal components. The original Mark 1 'lozenge' roof design consisted of plain, framed signage panels. From 1976 a Mark 2 roof design was introduced after one of the manufacturers, Lion Foundry Co Ltd, experienced difficulties casting this component without cracks appearing. The modified roof had a ‘cast line’ roof with thickened lower edges incorporating the lozenge shaped framing of the signage. The kiosk at Lone Pine Park is of the original Mark 1 design. 11,000 K8s were introduced onto the United Kingdom's streets between 1968 and 1983, after which the majority were replaced by the KX100.

A number of K8 kiosks have been identified on privately owned holiday or residential parks such as Lone Pine Park which was developed in the second half of the C20. Its kiosk is depicted as ‘disused’ on the modern Ordnance Survey map. It may stand in its original location, but it could have been purchased from BT in the 1980s when production ceased and the company replaced large numbers of K8s with newer kiosks. Some of the removed kiosks were then sold on.

Details

K8 telephone kiosk. Designed by Bruce Martin and introduced from 1968.

DESCRIPTION
The kiosk comprises six cast iron parts and an aluminium door. The door and the two sides of the kiosk contain large rectangular sheets of toughened glass set in frames with rounded corners, the fourth side has a solid panel set in a frame. It has a square plan with a flat roof dome that is glazed with toughened glass set on four sides with rectangular panes, again with rounded corners, three have clear glass and the fourth, front panel bears the words ‘FERNDOWN 2685’ in black lettering. It is likely it would have originally carried the word 'TELEPHONE'. The kiosk is painted red.

Sources

Websites
The K8 Kiosk – Last of the Great Red Boxes, 3 May 2007, accessed 24 February 2025 from https://c20society.org.uk/casework/the-k8-kiosk-last-of-the-great-red-boxes
The Telephone Box, Kiosk No 8, accessed 24 February 2025 from http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/kiosks/k8/
Kiosk No.8 (K8), accessed 19 February 2025 from https://www.britishtelephones.com/k8.htm

End of official list entry