The Development of the Letterbox
In the pre-post box era, there was two main methods for delivering instructions; senders can be necessitated to bring 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, also to make his presence known, the Bellman has on a uniform and sounds familiar.
It is at 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 understand the modern system.
The success in the experiment led to an additional four being installed on Guernsey, one of which now forms part of the British Postal Museum & Archive collection. Letter boxes then began appearing on the mainland as of 1853.
However, there was as yet no universal pillar box design in which we have been currently familiar. Design and manufacture was in the discretion of local authorities, and it what food was in 1859 that attempts were designed to standardise the structures.
Horizontal slits had become the favoured option over vertical ones, and became the norm in check here letterbox design. Further improvements upon the main included the addition with the protruding cap to shield the contents from the elements.
As of 1859, the lamp would have been to be accessible in two sizes; a more substantial and wider size for highly populated areas, along with a smaller version for elsewhere. However, the standardised pillar boxes would not receive universal acclaim. It was contrary to the backdrop of such criticism how the Liverpool Special was formulated.
This prompted the Post Office (opened in 1861) to create another standard letter box in 1866. Again, this is not a huge success therefore, a further design started in 1879. This final design is the one that we are used to today. It was 2 years ahead of this that this iconic red colour from the post boxes became a standard feature.
Before on this occasion, the most well-liked colour option was green as a way to blend in with the green British pastures. However, after having a barrage of complaints that this structures were to hard to locate because of their camouflage, it absolutely was agreed that bright red was the best option. The programme of re-painting lasted for about a decade.
For the people most importantly, the introduction and refinement of letter boxes enhanced the ability for sending and receiving mail with ease. With the exception of oversized parcel delivery, people were afforded access to some delivery service nothing you've seen prior witnessed in Great Britain.