The Development of the Letterbox
In the pre-post box era, there was two main means of delivering a letter; senders will be necessitated to get their mail to some Receiving House, or would await the Bellman. The latter would patrol the streets, collecting post through the community. In order to distinguish himself, and also to make his presence known, the Bellman might wear a uniform and ring a bell.
It what food was in 1852 the suggestion of road-side boxes finally became a reality, using a trial proposed to the Channel Islands. Three cast-iron pillar boxes were installed on Jersey to try out the new system.
The success of the experiment resulted in yet another four being attached to Guernsey, info now forms part of the British Postal Museum & Archive collection. Letter boxes then began appearing around the mainland since 1853.
However, there was up to now no universal pillar box design in which we are currently familiar. Design and manufacture was on the discretion of local authorities, and yes it is at 1859 that attempts were built to standardise the structures.
Horizontal slits became the favoured option over vertical ones, and took over as norm in letterbox design. Further improvements upon the original included the addition from the protruding cap to shield the contents through the elements.
As of 1859, the box would have been to be for sale in 2 sizes; a more substantial and wider size for highly populated areas, as well as a smaller version for elsewhere. However, the standardised pillar boxes did not receive universal acclaim. It was from the backdrop of which criticism that this Liverpool Special was formulated.
This prompted the Post Office (opened in 1861) to produce another standard letter box in 1866. Again, it was not just read more a huge success so, a further design arrived 1879. This final design will be the one in which were accustomed to today. It was 2 years prior to this the iconic red colour from the post boxes became a standard feature.
Before now, preferred colour option was green as a way to blend in with the green British pastures. However, after a barrage of complaints that the structures were to challenging to locate this can camouflage, it was agreed that bright red was the best option. The programme of re-painting lasted for about ten years.
For the populace in particular, the introduction and refinement of letter boxes enhanced the capacity for sending and receiving mail without difficulty. With the exception of oversized parcel delivery, people were afforded access to a delivery service never before witnessed in Great Britain.