Fun Post Box Facts And Figures!
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Did You Know?
500 not out - Royal Mail's origins date back almost 500 years! King Henry VIII created the position of 'Master of the Posts' in 1516, the position later becoming known as 'Postmaster General'.
Pay at the other end - when the business of posting and delivering letters became available to the public in 1635, it was the recipient that had to cover the cost of the delivery!
Lick and stick - the 'Penny Black' was the first adhesive postage stamp to be released by the 'Mail (6th May 1840).
'The good old days' - Remember when we used to have a first delivery and second delivery each day? Thats nothing when compared to deliveries in London in the late 1800s; some residents could receive upto TWELVE deliveries per day, enough to enjoy a substantial multi-letter same-day conversation if needed!
Goin' underground - The Royal Mail had its own underground railway network in London. 'Mail Rail' ran between east and west London sorting offices between 1927 and 2003.
EIIR, VR, GVIR... - Post Boxes and Pillar Boxes are traditionally finished with the latin initials of the current reigning King or Queen. Modern boxes are cast with EIIR, while many older post boxes and pillar boxes can be still be seen up and down the country emblazoned with initials such as VR (Queen Victoria), GR (King George V), GVIR (King George VI) or the very ornate Edward VII scroll.
... except in Scotland - Initials are not featured on Post Boxes 'north of the border', as Queen Elizabeth II is technically the first monarch with that title to reign in Scotland (Queen Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland and not the United Kingdom). Scottish Post Boxes may simply include the phrase 'POST OFFICE' or the Scottish crown, or a combination of both.
Here, there and everywhere! - More than 20,000 wall-box style Post Boxes were manufactured and installed across Britain between 1952 and 1980.
Going for gold - More than 100 Post Boxes were repainted in gold following the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. Each gold box commemorates a British gold medal winner, the boxes usually being found in the medal winner's hometown. Find a gold box near you!