A mass-produced red kiosk brings nationally familiar telecommunications design into Lauder’s intimate historic market place.
Quick facts
- Date
- Design approved 1935; type introduced 1936
- Architect / designer
- Sir Giles Gilbert Scott
- Type
- Standard cast-iron K6 telephone kiosk
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB37228)
- OS grid reference
- NT 53064 47578
Architecture and continuing use
The compact cast-iron enclosure follows Scott’s standard K6 pattern, with a shallow domed roof, glazed grid panels and crown emblems. Its vertical red form is deliberately easy to identify among the pale, low-rise buildings of Market Place.
Its story
The General Post Office commissioned the K6 during George V’s Silver Jubilee year to improve telephone provision and simplify mass production. A concession scheme placed kiosks in villages with post offices, explaining the type’s close relationship with small-town centres such as Lauder.
Why it is included
Category B listing recognises how a standard national design can become an important component of a highly distinctive conservation-area streetscape.
What to notice
- The shallow domed roof and crown motifs.
- Regular glazing bars around the narrow enclosure.
- Its position close to the former post office and town hall.
Reading the surroundings
View from the public pavement without blocking the kiosk or nearby premises. Do not assume emergency call service; verify equipment before relying on it.
Timeline
- 1935 Scott completed the Jubilee kiosk design for the General Post Office.
- 1936 The K6 entered national production.
- 1990 Lauder’s Market Place example received Category B listing.
- 2026 The kiosk remains a designated feature of the conservation-area streetscape.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The exact installation year in Lauder and present call functionality are not stated by the designation. No community reuse is asserted without current evidence.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: K6 Telephone Kiosk, Market Place, LB37228 — Current designation status, official mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: LB37228 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
Location
OS grid reference NT 53064 47578 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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