A K6 telephone box, made at the Lion Foundry Co Ltd Kirkinti...

Hammer

£1,000

A K6 telephone box, made at the Lion Foundry Co Ltd Kirkintilloch, stamped, dated 1953-1968, 250cm tall

Designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott the K6 was designed to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of George V, going into production in 1936. Before its introduction there were 19,000 phone boxes in the UK and by the time it was replaced by the K8 in 1968 there were around 70,000 making the K6 the most prolific kiosk in the UK.

The Lion Foundry opened in 1880, in the town of Kirkintilloch, 10 miles north of central Glasgow. During the early years of the company they were renounced for the construction of band stands, public transport shelters and theatre canopies, such as the North Promenade Tram shelter in Blackpool, Olympia theatre in Liverpool and the Leeds County Arcade. The post war years saw a change of direction for the company, moving away from the ornate work they were know for to more utilitarian product such as balance weights, heavy duty frames and the much loved K6 phone box for the GPO. In 1966 they won the contract to make the new K8 kiosks and shared the load with other foundries, later becoming the sole foundry for the K8, becoming dependant on the K8 for its business. Once fresh orders dried up from the GPO the foundry closed its doors at the end of 1984.