MARCH 2025 – HAVE YOU SEEN A CHARLES III LETTER BOX YET? The first letter box bearing the cipher of King Charles III entered service on 12 July 2024. That pillar box, on the High Street, Great Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, carries a special plaque on the back, recording its historic role. It has taken some time for further examples to arrive on the streets, but Charles III postboxes… Read More
JULY 2024 – FIRST CIIIR POSTBOX ENTERS SERVICE The first post box with the CIIIR cipher of the new king entered service at 8.00am today (12th July). The box was unveiled on the High Street, Great Cambourne, by pupils from The Vine Inter-Church Primary School in Upper Cambourne and HM Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mrs Julie Spence OBE CStJ QPM. The pupils posted the… Read More
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
FEBRUARY 2024 – WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PILLAR BOX AND A LETTER BOX? This question was answered recently in The Times. The newspaper’s archive editor Rose Wild writes a weekly feedback column on issues from its Letters page, and on 27th January 2024 we were very pleased to read the following: “I was too quick off the mark last week when I apologised for not knowing the difference… 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
APRIL 2022 – THE LETTER BOX STUDY GROUP ACHIEVES CHARITABLE STATUS The Letter Box Study Group has made a successful application to become a charity and has been given the Registered Charity Number 1198577 by the Charity Commission. Having charitable status adds weight and authority to our voice when dealing with other organisations, as well as giving us options that are only available to charities for… Read More