Mailboxes

This may seem like a mundane topic for a blog but there's actually a lot of history in these red pillars. And if the BBC can do a program about them, then I think they are worthy of some recognition!

The first English mailboxes were installed on the islands of Guernsey and Jersey in 1852. They were olive green in color which turned out to be a problem because they could not be seen in the fog. Hence the change to red--that's, "Royal Mail Red."  The cast iron pillars may look mostly the same but a little closer inspection shows that each one has been manufactured with an insignia  or "royal cypher" consisting of the reigning monarch's initial and numeral.  The "R" stands for "rex" or "regina."

This one, along Wilberforce Road and closest to us, if from George VI's reign.  This is the king of "The King's Speech."

This Edward VII box is along one of the main downtown streets in Cambridge.  Edward VII was Victoria's son who reigned only 9 years.

Here's a father-daughter pair of George VI and Elizabeth II.  You won't see the "Elizabeth II" cypher on mailboxes in Scotland.  There were protests in the 1950s about using that insignia since Elizabeth I was never queen of Scotland.  Instead of "E II R" the Scottish crown is used.

Queen Victoria's boxes come in several styles.

This is the more rare Penfield design, a hexagonal box, in front of Kings College Cambridge.  (The "no bicycles" must refer to no bicycles permitted on the King College grounds since there is always a bicycle parked by the sign).

Today there is only one manufacturer of the royal mail boxes: Machan in Denny, Scotland.  The manufacturer's name appears on the black pedestal but I haven't spent time on the ground checking out that information!