Old Letter Boxes

by Martin Robinson

Pillar boxes were first introduced into Britain at the instigation of novelist and Post Office Surveyor Anthony Trollope. Nowadays the red postbox is a familiar sight in any city street or country lane. Because of their sturdy cast-iron construction British letter boxes are very durable, and examples of virtually every type from Queen Victoria's reign onwards can still be found. Pillar boxes, wall boxes of various kinds, lamp boxes and other non-standard specimens are included in this survey. It also describes and illustrates some of those from the Channel Islands, where pillar boxes were first introduced in 1852, from Scotland, which has had its own design of letter boxes since the Queen's accession in 1952, and others from the heart of London to the depths of rural Wales and the Irish Republic.

Genres: Nonfiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2000

Reviews

[Helen Womack]

I actually really enjoyed this book. For such a short book of 40 pages it really does pack a punch with information!

[Marlene Womack]

A very informative book about the history of British Post Boxes. Beautifully illustrated and gives examples of the various types of boxes for each monarch's reign. I am now a post box fan and have enjoyed exploring various places in and around Kent in search of special post boxes.

[Alex]

This little book gives a brief history of UK postbox designs. It’s a fun read if you are interested in history. After reading it you won’t walk past a postbox without checking to see during what reign it was made.

[Cathal Reynolds]

This is what happens when I have time to kill at work .
Also if anyone wants a tour of historic post-boxes in the United Kingdom HMU
*heavy sarcasm*

[Sandy Millin]

40 pages packed with fascinating information. I’ve always been interested in letter boxes and taken photos of them, so when I went to the Postal Museum in London a couple of years ago I couldn’t resist picking this up, though it’s taken a while to read it. It was worth the wait! I was interested to see some letter boxes I’ve previously taken pictures of and to learn more about their history, and it’s given me a deeper appreciation of why the design of them had to change over time.

[Kate]

This short guide shows the evolution of the British letter boxes since the time they came into being. Illustrated mostly in colour.