BT answers Ripon Civic Society’s call to repair historic city centre telephone kiosks
Telecoms giant BT has answered a call from Ripon Civic Society to carry out repair work on the four vandalised telephone kiosks that stand in line in the city centre.
Richard Taylor, co-chair of the heritage watchdog, raised concerns about the dangerous condition of the kiosks, which have had glass window panels deliberately smashed over a period of time.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“They were not safe to use and we are delighted to see this action being taken by BT and also look forward to the kiosks being re-painted in due course.”
Mr Taylor was in contact with BT last week to remind them the K6 Kiosks, which were given grade II listed status by English Heritage in 1987, were still awaiting repairs that he had been requested in December.
Above is how the vandalised kiosks looked in December and below how they now look after broken panels have been replaced
He said:
“It is rare to have a grouping of four telephone kiosks of this vintage – particularly in a city of Ripon’s size.”
Mr Taylor pointed out:
“They stand in close proximity to the cabmen’s shelter – another grade II listed building – and together they are part of Ripon’s heritage and are of special architectural interest.
“It would be great to eventually see the kiosks being used as something like an information hub, where local people and visitors to Ripon could find out more about the history of our ancient city.
“Ideally, one of the phones should be kept operational, as some people do not have mobiles.”
Designed by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935, the K6 kiosks are iconic structures still seen in many places across the UK.
Main Picture: Nick Ions and Patricia Barrie, who are members of the BT maintenance team which looks after a thousand telephone kiosks in Yorkshire, carried out the repairs.
Read more:
‘The roads around Ripon’s Market Square are unfit and unsafe’Pressure is growing for urgent work to take place to improve the state of some of Ripon’s busiest roads.
Ripon City Council voted unanimously last night to write to North Yorkshire County Council calling for resurfacing work to be carried out as a matter of urgency.
The principal areas of concern are parts of the Market Place roads where block paving has lifted and cracked because of the volume of traffic.
North Yorkshire County Council has carried out temporary repairs by putting tarmac over the worst-affected sections, leaving the surface looking like a patchwork quilt.
Councillors want to see comprehensive repairs to the city centre roads, as Market Square is the focal point of entertainment and activities, including the weekly Thursday and Saturday markets.
At last night’s meeting, two Conservative county councillors joined independent city councillors to call for urgent repairs.
Councillor Stuart Martin, who is chairman of North Yorkshire County Council, and Cllr Mike Chambers, are also Ripon city and Harrogate district councillors.
They said they have been pushing for repairs to the Market Place East and West roads and other roads in the city.
Councillors say roads around Ripon Market Square are unfit and unsafe
Speaking about the long-term calls for repairs, Cllr Martin, who represents Ripon South on North Yorkshire County Council, said:
“You can’t defend the indefensible. We have been consulting about the east and west carriageways for some time and they need to be sorted out.”
Cllr Chambers, who represents Ripon North at County Hall, added
“We have been pushing for repairs to the road surfaces and will continue to do so.”
The county councillors were responding to a call from city council leader Andrew Williams for North Yorkshire County Council to use reserve funds to pay for work.
Read more:
Last week, in response to Stray Ferret questions about the state of city centre roads, Barrie Mason, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for highways and transportation, said:
“Ripon Market Place is being considered for future funding within our forward programme for 2022/23.
“A number of the areas of most concern are associated with poorly performing utility reinstatements and we are seeking urgent action on these from the companies concerned.”
But Cllr Williams told last night’s meeting:
“We can’t wait until next year. The roads around Market Square are unfit, unsafe for motorists, cyclist and pedestrians and unacceptable.”
The square will also be a key venue for next year’s events celebrating the queen’s platinum jubilee.
