The oldest icon depicted on the Royal Mail British Design Classics stamps is Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s K2 telephone kiosk, dates from 1926. An unmistakable sight on the streets of the UK, the red telephone box came about as a result of a 1924 competition to design a kiosk that would be acceptable to the London Metropolitan Boroughs which had resisted efforts from the Post Office to put up older K1 kiosks on their streets.
Entries from respected architects, the Post Office, and The Birmingham Civic Society were all considered, with Gilbert Scott’s design being triumphant. A trustee of the Sir John Soane’s Museum, Gilbert Scott had topped his design with a dome similar to Soane’s self-designed mausoleum, and had suggested that the K2 was painted silver. The Post Office painted the cast iron design red, and its place in British culture was assured.
Did you know?
The red paint finish was chosen to make the K2 easy to spot, and the kiosk also appeared on the streets of British principalities Gibraltar and Malta.
Tags: British Design Classics, Culture, Design