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Yorkshire Post

Red-letter day as enthusiasts think inside the box

Red-letter day as enthusiasts think inside the box

“The Letter Box Study Group, which was founded in 1976 and is working to record all 116,000 letterboxes in the country, held its tri-annual conference in the spa town over the weekend..” read more… Read More

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Advent Calendar Dec 22 - St Albans This Elizabeth

Advent Calendar Dec 22 - St Albans

This Elizabeth II Type A (large) pillar box on Spencer Street features a knitted topper in the form of a Christmas pudding and mince pies. But there's more to the box than that!

Like almost all Type As manufactured between 1905-57, it was made by McDowall Steven & Co, and has a smaller aperture conforming to the curve of the box. From 1957, Carron Company would take over Type A manufacture, and give both this and the Type Bs a larger jutting aperture. Along with the monarch's cipher, this lets us date the box nicely to 1952-57

#postbox #letterbox #mailbox #adventcalendar #adventcalendar2024 #streetfurniture #postboxtopper #stalbans #design #history #knitting

Advent Calendar Dec 21 part 2 - Coventry This com

Advent Calendar Dec 21 part 2 - Coventry

This common Elizabeth II Type B (small) pillar box can be found across the length and breadth of the UK (with Scottish Crown equivalents in Scotland of course). What makes this one stand out is the sheer number of pouch boxes that accompany it. Not only does it have a large grey companion, but it also has a red backpack too!

The plentiful nature of these pouch boxes suggests that at one time there was a very busy postal service in this area of Coventry. As the posties go about their delivery rounds, they would need to collect the bags of mail for each section of the route from the boxes. This prevented them from having to carry everything all at once.

These days posties deliver from vans, so pouch boxes are not commonly used any more

#postboxsaturday #mailbox #postbox #letterbox #coventry #streetfurniture #streetfurnituredesign #adventcalendar #adventcalendar2024 #letterboxstudygroup

Advent Calendar Dec 21 part 1 - Bath This stunnin

Advent Calendar Dec 21 part 1 - Bath

This stunning example of a large Penfold postbox has been lovingly kept in service for over 150 years in the city of Bath, which has several historic postboxes. If you're struggling to identify your originals from your replicas, here's a few tips

- Originals have the makers name 'Cochrane' on the base. The maker's name was part of the mould, so it won't have fallen off. It is hidden on this postbox as the base is buried. Replicas have the maker's name on a plate fixed to the base, and many have fallen off, though there may be signs of where it used to be
- Originals mostly have a bevelled collection plate holder, although some have been replaced by a flat collection plate holder to match the replicas
- All replicas are the smaller size, and have the aperture above the coat of arms, matching the box they were modelled on

#postboxsaturday #mailbox #letterbox #postbox #adventcalendar #adventcalendar2024 #bath #history #streetfurniture #streetfurnituredesign

Advent Calendar Dec 20 - Newport, Gwent This Edwa

Advent Calendar Dec 20 - Newport, Gwent

This Edward VII pillar box dates to the second half of Edward's reign, one of the first produced by McDowall Steven & Co. McDowall Steven made several changes to Handyside's design, integrating the slot into the door and adding the next collection tablet and wording.

You may note the collection plate is a little off-centre on this box, which is because the original plate has been replaced. Even this one has suffered some damage!

#adventcalendar #adventcalendar2024 #streetfurniture #streetfurnituredesign #history #designhistory #castiron #newportgwent #newport #postbox #mailbox #letterbox #letterboxstudygroup

Advent Calendar Dec 19 - Lancaster This size A (l

Advent Calendar Dec 19 - Lancaster

This size A (large) VR wall box is a good example of its 1881-1905 design. These older boxes have smaller doors, miss the words 'NEXT COLLECTION' and tablet with the next collection time/day, and have the royal initials above the aperture instead of the whole cipher on the door. For a good comparison, take a look at our earlier advent calendar post in Wells.

#adventcalendar #adventcalendar2024 #lancaster #streetfurniture #streetfurnituredesign #postbox #mailbox #letterbox #letterboxstudygroup #history #lancaster

Advent Calendar Dec 18 - Londonderry/Derry This E

Advent Calendar Dec 18 - Londonderry/Derry

This Edward VII pillar box is one of the later Handyside boxes, with McDowall Steven taking over manufacture and changing the design in 1905. It also features a special stamps plaque, showing a March 2015 stamp with the Northern Irish city's Peace Bridge. The bridge, opened in June 2011 across the River Foyle and connecting Irish nationalist and British unionist communities in the cities, was hoped to be used to improve connections and reduce divisions between the communities, as part of regeneration taking place across the city.

#adventcalendar #northernireland #derry #londonderry #adventcalendar2024 #postbox #mailbox #letterbox #history #streetfurniture #letterboxstudygroup

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JULY 2024 – THE FIRST CIIIR POSTBOX IS UNVEILED LIVE ON BBC BREAKFAST 15th July 2024
JULY 2024 – FIRST CIIIR POSTBOX ENTERS SERVICE 12th July 2024
APRIL 2024 – “BEGINNER’S LETTER BOXES” BOOKLET 8th April 2024
FEBRUARY 2024 – WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PILLAR BOX AND A LETTER BOX? 20th February 2024

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