Letter boxes
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Please note that this section of the website still requires a section on pillar boxes. This requires a little more work but will hopefully be available shortly. We apologise for the inconvenience. |
The British Postal Museum & Archive holds a large and diverse collection of letter boxes, housed in our Museum Store in Essex.
The BPMA has around 200 letter boxes in the collection which cover the history of the letter box. We hold one of the early Channel Island boxes used in the initial trial of letter boxes in the UK in 1852. We also have modern boxes and prototypes never released for general use. The collection reflects the many different types of letter boxes that were introduced after the pillar box. We have some boxes that were set into walls and others that were attached to lamp posts. We also have boxes used in private houses or businesses, philatelic posting boxes and many others.
The collection consists of letter boxes of many different designs, colours and sizes, ranging from small lamp boxes to large double aperture and combination pillar boxes. The letter boxes in the collection span the reign of six different monarchs and are all unique in their own way. The collection includes typical boxes but also some very rare ones, and tells the story of the development and expansion of the British Postal Service.
In our collection...
Lamp boxes
Our collection of lamp boxes
spans the reigns of different monarchs and includes one of the earliest and
rarest Victorian lamp boxes
from around 1896.
See examples of our lamp boxes...
Other
posting boxes
The collection also includes many wooden private posting boxes and other types of
posting box. The finest examples of private boxes are those from the Houses of Parliament.
See examples our other posting boxes...
Pillar boxes
Our collection illustrates the significant changes to the standardised pillar
box. We also have rare examples of pillar boxes from the short reign of Edward VIII.
See examples of our pillar boxes...
Wall boxes
Our collection has examples of the famous 'Ludlow' wall box. We also have a
representative sample of different sizes and designs up to the modern day.
See examples of our wall boxes...
Access
This material is accessible by appointment only. For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact us by telephone on 020 7239 2570 or by email to info@postalheritage.org.uk. Please quote the accession number of the object you would like to see when making your enquiry.
