Other posting boxes
Alongside the more traditional letter boxes, the BPMA collection also holds a range of the more unusual boxes. Non-traditional boxes actually have a strong history within the Post Office. The idea of locally built, bespoke, boxes in some cases predates the standard issue box we recognise today.
Within the BPMA collection there are around 10 examples of these ‘other’ boxes. The largest group is the private posting boxes. We also hold mobile boxes, bracket boxes and boxes especially made by particular sites.
The idea of a large country house having its own box in which the residents could post their letters securely is believed to pre-date the British pillar box. These boxes did not become more common, however, until later.
Bracket Box, c. 1880s, accession number: OB1998.550
This bracket box was used in Woolwich, South East London. Bracket boxes are now extremely rare outside
of museum collections.
We hold three examples of bracket boxes in the collection. These examples were supplied from the Office of Works. They date from around the 1880s and were used at Railway Stations, on boats and at some Government buildings.
Mobile posting box, 1901-1910, accession number: 2003-0277
This is an example of the mobile posting boxes that were used in the early years of the railways. They could be placed on platform barriers or hung from the side of a train
whilst it stood at the platform.
Mobile boxes could also be found onboard ships. Mail posted in these boxes received a special handstamp. From 1892, mobile letter boxes began to be seen on some tramcars across the country. They could also be encountered on some trolleybuses and early omnibuses. Such use declined rapidly following the Second World War and ceased totally around 1965.
The use of such mobile boxes allowed them to be temporarily placed in areas that suited the public. This allowed for an extra late collection after the last collection from the normal street side letter boxes. Usually, a ‘late fee’ was due on this mail in addition to the normal postage. The fee charged changed over the years. The instructions on this box show that the late fee was an extra penny.
Private Posting Box, c. 1940s, accession number: 2004-0192
This is one of a number of private posting boxes from the BPMA collection. It includes the enamel disclaimer notice stating that proof of postage in boxes like these cannot be held up in legal proceedings. The Post Office insisted on these disclaimer notices being featured on private boxes.
The Post Office agreed they would collect letters from boxes in private houses or public buildings (generally for an annual fee) in 1878. The boxes were the property of the landowner but the Post Office was keen to ensure the integrity of the mail and so insisted the box meet certain requirements.
Gravesend ‘Electrical’ Box, 20th
Century, accession number 2005-0291
This is one of the more unusual private boxes
in the collection of the BPMA. It was acquired in 2005. It was made by a cable company in Gravesend, Kent. They used one of the roadside junction boxes often seen housing telephone wire and made it into a box.
Private boxes had to meet certain standards but it was not essential to go to an official supplier.
