The Red Post Box

The red post box is an iconic piece of British heritage, having been a familiar piece of the streets for nearly 180 years. There are around 155,500 post boxes across the UK, with a substantial portion of these situated in London. When it comes to post boxes, there are two main factors which distinguish them from each other – their design and the royal cypher. The roadside post box has existed since the reign of Queen Victoria, with every subsequent monarch’s cypher being immortalised on the front (e.g. here - VR - Victoria Regina).

Prior to postal reform in 1840, mail was an expensive form of communication. The Uniform Penny Post was introduced, meaning the sender pre-paid the postal costs, rather than the recipient. The same year, the Penny Black adhesive stamp was released. It wasn’t until 12 years later, the first roadside Post Office pillar box was erected in St Helier, Jersey as a trial. In 1853, the first roadside pillar box was established in the mainland United Kingdom in Carlisle. In 1856, Richard Redgrave (1804-1888) from the Department of Science and Art came up with an ornate pillar box design to be used in London and other cities. From 1857, some post boxes were built into existing walls (as this one, located in Hampstead, North London).

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