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POST boxes are a distinctive feature of Britain’s past and present – and Worcester boasts some rare and striking examples.
Like Britain’s red phone boxes designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, few things are as iconic of the nation as our red post boxes bearing the elegant Royal Cyphers of kings and queens.
Some have been features of our streets for well over a century – since the reign of Queen Victoria – and others are replicas recreating the glories of bygone days.
The earliest boxes on Jersey were red. However, the Postal Museum says a change was made in 1859 when the colour for all post boxes was standardised as green.
“The early green painted boxes were unobtrusive, excessively so. Complaints were received by people having difficulty finding them and a return to red was specified in 1874,” said a spokesperson for the Museum.
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Because of Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, many will be familiar with her Royal Cypher, found on post boxes up and down the land.
Following her death on September 8 last year, Charles III, revealed his own distinctive cypher which will come to feature on new post boxes.
Where are Worcester’s oldest post boxes and what is the history behind them?
One post box in Ombersley Road, Worcester bears the rare cypher of Edward VIII who reigned for under a year.
This was because he abdicated in December 1936 to be succeeded by his brother, the late Queen’s father, George VI. A George V post box is also still going strong in Ombersley Road.
Paul Harding of Discover History said: “We take many historical things for granted. Sometimes we don’t really notice and appreciate what we have around us.
“Worcester is lucky to have some old post boxes and I always encourage people to look and explore our shared heritage in whatever guise it comes in. Post boxes are a perfect example.
“Some are cast in iconic shapes, painted in a variety of colours and more importantly given a Royal Cypher, such as one holding the Cypher of Edward VIII. We sit on the eve of a new Coronation and we will eventually see CR III appearing on post boxes.”
Even as people resort to other forms of communication – text, email, social media and mobile phone calls – these post boxes are somehow emblematic of British history and are still very much in use today.
The roadside post box was first launched in Britain after the postal reforms of 1840, which introduced affordable postage for everyone, rather than just the wealthy. The new pre-paid postage stamps standardised the service across the country.
One of our most historic post boxes is right next to Worcester Cathedral at College Yard/A44 bearing the cypher VR for Queen Victoria although this Penfold cast iron post box is a replica dating from 1989.
With the growing demand for postal services due to industrialisation, the system was regarded as inconvenient. A new system for sending mail was introduced. One General Post Office high-ranking official, novelist Anthony Trollope, was tasked with finding a solution, coming up with the idea of the post box.
He suggested using a cast-iron, locked, roadside pillar box where people could post mail. Letters would be collected at regular times by GPO staff. The scheme was pioneered in the Channel Islands in 1852 and spread to the UK mainland in 1853.
Since the launch of post boxes in Victorian times, they have carried the insignia of the reigning monarch. Known as the Royal Cypher, it’s a monogram-like emblem, consisting of the sovereign’s initials and title. These are usually interwoven with a crown.
Great Britain and other Commonwealth countries abbreviate the title to “R” – short for the Latin words for king and queen, “rex” and “regina”. More than 60 per cent of UK post boxes display the “EIIR” mark – meaning Queen Elizabeth II Regina.
Around 15 per cent of post boxes display the insignia of George V. Smaller numbers of post boxes contain the insignia of George VI, Queen Victoria and Edward VII. A survey by the Letter Box Study Group found 171 boxes still surviving from the short reign of Edward VIII in 1936.
