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 – THE FIRST CIIIR POSTBOX IS UNVEILED LIVE ON BBC BREAKFAST BBC1 covered the unveiling of the first Charles III postbox extensively in its breakfast programme on Friday 12th July. Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty introduced John Maguire who was reporting live from the High Street in Great Cambourne. … 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
POST BOXES GO LIVE ON FIVE THE BBC’S Radio Five Live dedicated an entire hour to a detailed discussion of post boxes on 28 November 2023. Hosted by Colin Murray, two LBSG members contributed to the show. Arthur Reeder and Robert Cole spoke along side Chris Taft from the Postal Museum and Colin Sinclair, an enthusiast who was on holiday in… Read More
DECEMBER 2023 – SINGING CHRISTMAS POSTBOXES SERENADE THE PUBLIC For the first time since 2020, letter boxes specially decorated for Christmas have been unveiled by Royal Mail. The postboxes will surprise and serenade members of the public when they post their cards and letters at four chosen locations across the UK. Painted red and gold, and located in each UK nation, the boxes are… 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
MAY 2023 – ‘LIVERPOOL SPECIAL’ LOOKING EVEN MORE SPECIAL FOR EUROVISION The United Kingdom is hosting the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the 2022 winners, Ukraine. Liverpool was chosen to be host city, with the Grand Final taking place in the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena next to the River Mersey on Saturday 13 May and Semi-Finals being held in the Arena earlier in the… Read More
MAY 2023 – SPECIAL POSTBOXES TO CELEBRATE THE CORONATION Royal Mail celebrated the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla with four specially decorated letter boxes across the UK. The four postboxes were unveiled in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and County Down in Northern Ireland. The box in London is situated very close to Westminster Abbey, where the coronation took place on Saturday 6th… 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