Post boxes of England

We’ve been using post boxes, for more than 200 years and research has discovered that the earliest known post box was installed at Wakefield Post Office® in 1809. To celebrate this anniversary Royal Mail is releasing a Miniature Sheet of four stamps featuring iconic wall mounted Post Boxes. A post box is the overall title for any kind of posting box whether it’s standing proud on the pavement (pillar box), a smaller freestanding version (pedestal box), on, or in, a wall (wall box), or on a pole (lamp box). The first Post Boxes, often just slots into the office, appeared over 200 years ago at Post Offices® for the convenience of people posting unpaid letters (the letters were paid for by the recipient). Wall boxes as we know them today were installed from 1857 as a cheaper alternative to pillar boxes, and have established themselves as a national icon, serving the needs of smaller communities.

The first pillar-boxes were installed in 1852 in the Channel Islands and 1853 on the mainland. Now, around 100,000 Post Boxes of all kinds exist across the UK. To celebrate this anniversary Royal Mail is releasing a Miniature Sheet of four stamps featuring iconic wall mounted Post Boxes.

The Miniature Sheet

1st Class – George V Type B Wall Box
This example with the royal cipher of George V was cast by W T Allen & Co Ltd, London, between 1933-36, and is from Cookham Rise near Maidenhead.

56p – Edward VII Ludlow Box
Introduced in 1887 this type of standardized box derives its name from the foundry where many of them were made. This example is from Bodiam, East Sussex.

81p – Victorian Lamp Box
The lamp box could also be attached to lamppost or other such structure. This example is from Hythe in Kent and was installed in 1896.

90p – Elizabeth II Type A Wall Box
This Elizabeth II Wall box is located in Slaithwaite near Huddersfield and would have been made between 1962 and 1963.