The Post Box

Wall post boxes can be found in the UK, France and Ireland.  What makes them different from the pillar post box is that they are not freestanding.  Instead they are set into a wall or are supported on a pole or other stable structure capable of bearing their weight.   The first wall post boxes were put up in 1857 as a cost effective alternative to the then pillar post box.

Construction

Wall post boxes are manufactured from cast iron.  They are cast in two separate castings for the body and another for the door.  The rear of the box as well as the front are each cast in one single piece.  The front of the wall post box contains the royal cipher and the collection plate holder and has a large opening into which a hinged door is placed.

This door is held firmly by steel pins which fit into pre machined holes in the front casting.  A secure lock was only fitted into wall post boxes after 1870.  Early construction included a device which allowed mail to be lifted off the floor of the post box.  This was necessary as water seeped in from side seams and from condensation.

From 1879 boxes were fitted with a drop down hinged metal chute that guided mail into waiting sacks.    Still later a modification was made which was considered quite retro.  This device made provision for an advertisement of collection dates and times and consisted of a tablet holder that held an inscribed square metal tablet.  Inside the post box was a tablet storage box which accomodated those tablets which were not being used at the time.

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