APRIL 2024 – “BEGINNER’S LETTER BOXES” BOOKLET The Letter Box Study Group has added a “Beginner’s Letter Boxes” booklet to the Welcome Pack that new Members receive when joining. It explains how to spot some key characteristics which will help them identify some of the many types of letter box they may encounter. Designed to get new Members started in the hobby,… Read More
JUNE 2023 – CRAFTY ROYAL FANS USE THEIR IMAGINATION TO THE FULL ON LETTER BOXES CELEBRATING THE CORONATION In the weeks leading up to the Coronation of King Charles III on 6th May, many communities made their local letter boxes look as royal as possible with bespoke knitted and crocheted toppers, often featuring the King, Queen, and the crown jewels. According to Royal Mail, toppers began to appear in the Christmas season in… Read More
SEPTEMBER 2022 – WHAT DOES THE NEW KING MEAN FOR POST BOXES? All UK kings and queens since the postbox was introduced in 1852 have had their royal cipher displayed on postboxes installed during their reign. But getting a postbox ready for a new monarch is not always straightforward! Edward VIII boxes were still being installed in early 1937, and then his father George V’s cipher had… Read More
SEPTEMBER 2022 – TAKE A LETTER: THE POST BOXES OF GOSPORT The Letter Box Study Group was recently asked to help in the production of a virtual tour around Gosport looking at the variety of post boxes in the town, as part of Heritage Open Days. https://www.gosportheritage.co.uk/take-a-letter-the-post-boxes-of-gosport/… Read More
JUNE 2022 – PLATINUM JUBILEE: WOOLLY POSTBOX TOPPERS APPEAR FOR QUEEN Woolly postbox toppers are appearing to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. Usually attached to the tops of pillar boxes, the creations are either crocheted or knitted in a wide range of colours and can be the result of many hours of patient work. The craze began during the first lockdown, but the Jubilee has seen a… Read More
MAY 2022 – ROYAL MAIL JOINS IN WITH THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW To coincide with the return of the Chelsea Flower Show after two years due to the Covid pandemic Royal Mail has put together a display at the Hackett store on Sloane Street in London. It features a letter being posted into a crown-topped postbox, all beautifully made from flowers. It can be seen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/61557710.… Read More
FEBRUARY 2022 – VALENTINE’S POST BOX Royal Mail has unveiled a ‘Valentine’s post box’ in the aptly named village of Lover in Wiltshire. The romantically-designed post box has been adorned with a selection of hearts and will remain decorated until the end of February for lovers to visit and send their post from. The post box in Lover is an example… Read More
September 2020 – Birmingham Heritage Week POST BOXES are taking a leading role in the Birmingham local history event being held this month. Called the Birmingham Heritage Week, it actually runs from 10 to 20 September 2020. The Letter Box Study Group assisted the organisers with its ‘Postbox Challenge’. A few pertinent facts are on the website (link: https://birminghamheritageweek.co.uk/postbox-facts/). Pictures of… Read More
Summer 2020 – Assisting Royal Mail with Covid testing kits THE LETTER BOX STUDY GROUP assisted Royal Mail designating boxes suitable for sending Covid-19 testing kits through the post. Boxes had to conform to certain parameters including, most obviously, the size of the aperture. Alerting the public to the Priority Postboxes, Royal Mail said: “We are a key partner for government’s coronavirus testing programme. We… Read More
How many letters does it take to fill a postbox? Earlier this month Andrew Young from the Letter Box Study Group popped into Radio 2 to answer this important question. Listen to his interview. … Read More