In the pre-post box era, there were two main means of delivering a letter; senders will be necessitated to take their mail to a Receiving House, or would await the Bellman. The latter would patrol the streets, collecting post through the community. In order to distinguish himself, and make his presence known, the Bellman would wear a uniform and sounds familiar.
It was in 1852 the suggestion of road-side boxes finally became a reality, with a trial proposed for the Channel Islands. Three cast-iron pillar boxes were installed on Jersey to try out the modern system.
The success in the experiment generated a different four being attached to Guernsey, one ofthese now forms part in the British Postal Museum & Archive collection. letterboxes melbourne began appearing for the mainland since 1853.
However, there was clearly to date no universal pillar box design with which we have been currently familiar. Design and manufacture was with the discretion of local authorities, plus it was in 1859 that attempts were created to standardise the structures.
Horizontal slits became the favoured option over vertical ones, and had become the norm in letterbox design. Further improvements upon the main included the addition with the protruding cap to shield the contents from your elements.
As of 1859, this area would have been to be for sale by 50 % sizes; a greater and wider size for highly populated areas, and a smaller version for elsewhere. However, the standardised pillar boxes did not receive universal acclaim. It was up against the backdrop of which criticism how the Liverpool Special was formulated.
This prompted the Post Office (opened in 1861) to make another standard letter box in 1866. Again, this became not just a huge success and so, an additional design started in 1879. This final design will be the one with which we are used to today. It was two years just before this the iconic red colour with the post boxes became a standard feature.
Before contemporary letterbox , preferred colour option was green in order to blend in with the green British pastures. However, after having a barrage of complaints how the structures were to tough to locate because of the camouflage, it was agreed that bright red was the most suitable choice. designer letter boxes of re-painting lasted for ten years.
For the population at large, the introduction and refinement of letter boxes enhanced the ability for sending and receiving mail without difficulty. With the exception of oversized parcel delivery, individuals were afforded access to some delivery service never before witnessed in Great Britain.