Wherever you go in UK, you will bump on them on every
corner. Can you guess what I have on my mind? Pillar boxes, of course. Postal
pillar boxes are certainly British icon. If you ask anyone who never be in UK
about the things that are unique there, the red pillar box will be on this
list. And they are special in many ways. Their look is unique, they have an
interesting history and represent tradition.
Most traditional British pillar boxes produced after 1905
are made of cast iron and are cylindrical. However, it is possible to see the
hexagonal Penfolds (named after the
architect who designed it, John Penfold), and an oval shape that is used mainly
for the large "double aperture" boxes most often seen in large cities
like London and Dublin. In recent years boxes manufactured in glass-fibre or ABS
plastic and these are for use in indoor locations (shopping malls, supermarkets...).
The first box in the UK was erected in Botchergate, Carlisle
in 1853, during the Victorian era. This
fact is commemorated today with a replica Penfold box, located between the
Market Cross and the Old Town Hall, in Carlisle city centre. The first six in
London were installed on 11 April 1855. Those first London pillar boxes were
decorated, but rectangular and not quite attractive. Consequently, they are
soon removed after numerous complaints from the public as they are considered
ugly. Two years later design become more close to what we have now on the
streets.
The first real standard design came in 1859 with the First
National Standard box. More decorative
examples of pillar boxes were reserved for London, Edinburgh and Dublin, while
more simple 'economic' versions were in use elsewhere. Also, a hexagonal
Penfolds became very widespread, with the biggest accumulations in London and
Cheltenham. They are also very popular in India, British Guayana, Australia and
New Zealand.
Originally, the colour of the pillar boxes were green, but
it is changed in 1874 when they became red. Though it is interesting that early
boxes on Jersey Island were painted in red. Early boxes, however, were green so
as not to appear too obtrusive in the landscape. So effective was this that
complaints were received by people having difficulty finding them. The Post
Office investigated alternative colours and initially settled on chocolate
brown, this required an extra coat of varnish however so proved more expensive
than an alternative suggestion of bright red. The new colour was introduced in
1874 and it took 10 years to complete the programme of re-painting.
In 1932 The Post Office introduced an airmail box, painted
in blue. The airmail boxes were in use until 1938. Most of them are removed or
re-painted in red. During the war-time, in early 1940s, pillar boxes had yellow
marks on the top and white painted bottom, to be more visible during the
black-out. The newest addition to styles and colours of pillar boxes came in
2012, the year Olympic Games in London. The gold medal winners got their 'own' post box painted gold.
If you look carefully, you will find on each box the letter
initials, Royal Cyphers. All boxes before 1879 were marked with the VR cypher
of Queen Victoria, but for some reason it was omitted from then to 1887. Every
successive reign has brought a new cypher - Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII,
George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. An interesting fact is that Scotland replaced
British royal cyphers with the Scottish crown, instead of the usual EIIR
cypher, which is unacceptable to Scots.
Beside the Britain, you may find similar
pillar boxes in other Commonwealth countries - Republic of Ireland, Australia,
India, Malta, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Hong Kong... Some of the examples you may see on the
picture above.
While pillar boxes remain the most numerous they are not the only type
of letter box. In 1857 as a means of introducing cheaper, smaller
capacity boxes for smaller towns and more rural areas, wall-mounted
boxes were introduced. Lamp boxes are now a regular feature of villages across Britain, often
fitted to telegraph or lamps posts, or mounted on their own pedestals.
Pillar boxes as true icons of Britain are very popular tourist souvenirs in form of biscuit tins, key holders, greeting cards, money boxes... One cannot ignore them, that is for sure.
If you would like to learn more about the subject, you may like to visit:
- The British Postal Museum & Archive in London (Phoenix Place, London WC1X 0DL, 020 7239 2570)
- Isle of Wight Postal Museum (408 Fairlee Road, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 2JX, (44) 0 1983 825193)
- Postal Museum in Bath (27 Northgate Street, Bath BA1 1AJ, 01225 460333)
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