Tke K7 - planned in 1959 - resulted from the commission of three designs from Neville Conder, Misha Black and Jack Howe, all of which used aluminium in construction. Of these, the design chosen by the Post Office was that by Neville Conder. Hugh Neville Conder was born on 30th April 1922 and died on 20th June 2003. He studied architecture after a serious accident whilist enroled in the RAF. Neville Conder worked with Hugh Casson on many architectural projects including designs for universities in Birmingham and Cambridge, and the design of the Elephant House at London Zoo.
There can be no starker comparison between the K6 and the final design for the K7. Conder was one of Britain's leading post-war architects designing modern buildings, often in concrete. It was an innovative design in its use of materials and six prototypes were produced in aluminium; these were installed in 1962. However the British climate caused discolouration and staining of the aluminium so the design didn't prove successful.
Also around half a dozen cast-iron versions were produced and installed; some of the aluminium and cast-iron prototypes were in service for some twenty years. Ultimately, however, few examples of this type were introduced to the streets of Britain. Because of their rarity, few of the K7 kiosks survive and as such remains the rarest of the kiosks designed under the stewardship of the Post Office. A surviving K7 kiosk forms part of the National Telephone Kiosk Collection at the Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
