The Development of the Letterbox

Author : McConnell Stanley | Published On : 20 Oct 2025

In the pre-post box era, there were two main methods for delivering correspondence; senders could be necessitated to get their mail to some Receiving House, or would await the Bellman. The latter would patrol the streets, collecting post in the community. In order to distinguish himself, and make his presence known, the Bellman dons a uniform and sounds familiar.
It what food was in 1852 that this suggestion of road-side boxes finally became a reality, using a trial proposed for your Channel Islands. Three cast-iron pillar boxes were set up on Jersey to understand the newest system.
The success in the experiment generated a different four being set up on Guernsey, one ofthese now forms part with the British Postal Museum & Archive collection. Letter boxes then began appearing on the mainland as of 1853.
However, there were confirmed no universal pillar box design with which were currently familiar. Design and manufacture was with the discretion of local authorities, and it was at 1859 that attempts were created to standardise the structures.
Horizontal slits took over as favoured option over vertical ones, and took over as the norm in letterbox design. Further improvements upon the original included the addition of the protruding cap to shield the contents in the elements.
As of 1859, the therapy lamp ended up being be accessible in 2 sizes; a more substantial and wider size for highly populated areas, along with a smaller version for elsewhere. However, designer letter boxes standardised pillar boxes did not receive universal acclaim. It was against the backdrop for these criticism that the Liverpool Special was formulated.
This prompted the Post Office (opened in 1861) to make another standard letter box in 1866. Again, this was not really a huge success therefore, an additional design came in 1879. This final design may be the one with which were acquainted with today. It was 2 years ahead of this that the iconic red colour of the post boxes became a standard feature.
Before this time around, the most well-liked colour option was green so that you can blend in with all the green British pastures. However, after having a barrage of complaints that this structures were to tough to locate due to their camouflage, it turned out agreed that bright red was your best option. The programme of re-painting lasted for as much as 10 years.
For the population 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, individuals were afforded access to your delivery service nothing you've seen prior witnessed in Great Britain.