'Rare' red telephone box granted listed status

A "rare and nationally significant" red telephone box at a hospital in Leeds has been granted Grade II listed status.

The K8 Mark II box at Seacroft Hospital was one of 11,000 K8 telephone boxes installed in the UK between 1968 and 1983, according to Historic England.

Surviving examples of the Mark II design are now rare, the public body added, as very few were retained by British Telecom following privatisation.

The hospital, part of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) estate and home of the new Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, houses one of only seven Mark IIs to be listed and "the first red kiosk in the North of England".

Craige Richardson, LTHT executive director of estates and facilities, said the trust was "proud to play a role in safeguarding this unique piece of history for future generations".

There are now 26 K8 telephone boxes in the country with listed status, Historic England said.

The kiosk, which was decommissioned in the 2010s, has been at the hospital since at least 1999.

The K8 was designed in the mid 1960s by architect Bruce Martin and commissioned by the General Post Office, owners of the public telephone network at the time.

They were introduced in 1968, while the K8 Mark II came into use in 1976 following requests from manufacturers to change the roof to make it easier to cast.

The K8 is notable for its modern and minimalist appearance, Historic England said, which made it simpler to repair and maintain.

Sarah Charlesworth, Historic England's north region listing team leader, said: "Red telephone boxes always hold a beloved place in England's heritage and this kiosk in Leeds is no different.

"As part of the last generation of the red public telephone boxes, it is a rare and nationally significant kiosk and we are delighted it has been given Grade II listed status and protection."

The Twentieth Century Society charity, which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards, said it was "thrilled" to see another K8 telephone box listed.

Campaigns director Oli Marshall said: "This was the street furniture of the swinging sixties and only a few years ago was on the verge of extinction, yet now they're proudly part of our national heritage."

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