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THEY are historic features of our communities countrywide that stand out thanks to their own unique shade of pillar box red.
But despite their scarlet colouring, perhaps we had all rather taken the humble post box for granted, failing to always truly notice it as we went about our daily lives.
In the wake of the death of Her Majesty the Queen on September 8, though, of the many changes the monarch’s passing has instigated, the post box in all its forms is drawing renewed attention, with a new trend of post box spotting emerging online.
Specifically, participants are engaged in the pastime due to taking note of the cyphers on the post boxes for the first time. As although many designs of the boxes themselves exist, from wall boxes to lamp-shaped boxes, as well as the traditional pillar boxes, all share one thing – the marking of the monarch of the day.
The Royal Cypher combines the monarch’s initials and title, with, for example, Queen Victoria’s featuring an interlaced VR and Queen Elizabeth II featuring EIIR.
In Scotland, though, as some did not accept Queen Elizabeth as the second monarch of her name – since Queen Elizabeth I was never ruler of Scotland – early features of her cypher were vandalised and blown-up in some cases and her reign is represented by the Scottish crown.
With her passing, though, questions have already been asked as to when a country so used to the her image and name in daily life – from banknotes to stamps – will see changes to incorporate the new King.
At the same time, many are also inspired to pay attention their local pillar boxes, with “pillarboxesofinstagram” trending on the platform and popping up on Twitter too, where one user, Sharon King, said: “Will all post boxes be changed? I’ve just realised my local post box was never changed. It still says GR. Sad to realise it never had an ER emblem.”
Another tweeted: “Do people really think Royal Mail are going to go round with an angle grinder removing ER from post boxes now…My nearest post box has King George VI’s initials on it and he’s been dead for 70 years.”
Another posted an image of a box with the Queen’s father’s intertwined GR initials, noting: “I didn’t know till recently that postboxes are different. I really thought that all had the late HM Queen’s Royal Cypher. Then I’ve seen one in Andover…Something looked different, then I realised this was installed during King George VI reign.”
In the Victorian era, as post boxes spread, they were painted green to blend in with the countryside, later changing to red in the later 19th century to stand out more.
On Instagram, the page “Postboxes of the UK” also documents the variety of structures used to post mail, as does “postboxpolly” and “postboxfanclubuk”.
For would-be spotters, the Postal Museum advises: “The most common Royal Cypher to many would be that of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Her ‘EIIR’ cypher stands for ‘Elizabeth II Regina’. The ‘R’ was added to a monarch’s cypher from the reign of Henry VIII, and stands for either ‘Rex’ or ‘Regina’, which is Latin for King or Queen.
“There are simply thousands of Pillar Boxes across the United Kingdom and the best way to date them is to look at their cypher. This will identify the Monarch that was on the throne during their creation. When the monarch changes, new pillar boxes do not replace old but are added to those in use, and this is why Britain has such an array of boxes.”
Historic England note: “More than half of all British boxes carry Elizabeth II’s ‘EIIR’ stamp and Scottish crown, but around 15 per cent date from the reign of George V (1910-1936) and a number survive from the reigns of George VI, Edward VII and Victoria. If you’re really lucky, your local post box could be one of the 168 identified as dating from Edward VIII’s very short reign in 1936.”
The changing of coins and stamps will both be gradual processes, with Elizabeth II’s coins expected to stay in use for years to come, still in use as King Charles’s are introduced over time. The Royal Mint advisory committee needs to send recommendations for new coins to the Chancellor and obtain royal approval, before designs are chosen and finally approved by the Chancellor and the King. The King will also feature on stamps at some stage after design approval, but again, the process will not be quick.
Royal Mail said: “In line with past practice, following the death of a monarch all existing post boxes will remain unchanged. Post boxes already in production or being prepared for installation, will also retain the insignia of Queen Elizabeth II.
“We will announce future stamp issues at the appropriate time. We will consult Buckingham Palace in the usual way before making any further announcements. For now, we remember the Queen’s lifetime of dedication to public services.”
