Notes

The Development of the Letterbox
In the pre-post box era, there have been two main ways of delivering instructions; senders can be necessitated to create 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 to make his presence known, the Bellman dons a uniform and sound familiar.
It was in 1852 how the suggestion of road-side boxes finally became a reality, with a trial proposed to the Channel Islands. Three cast-iron pillar boxes were attached to Jersey to test out the brand new system.
The success of the experiment resulted in an additional four being set up on Guernsey, one of which now forms part of the British Postal Museum & Archive collection. Letter boxes then began appearing for the mainland by 1853.
However, there was to date no universal pillar box design that we are currently familiar. Letterboxing - A Fun Outdoor Activity for the Whole Family! and manufacture was on the discretion of local authorities, and yes it 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 letterbox design. Further improvements upon the original included the addition with the protruding cap to shield the contents through the elements.
As of 1859, the box would have been to be around in 2 sizes; a more substantial and wider size for highly populated areas, along with a smaller version for elsewhere. However, the standardised pillar boxes didn't receive universal acclaim. It was from 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 was not really a huge success therefore, a further design started in 1879. This final design is the one with which we're accustomed to today. It was 24 months ahead of this that the iconic red colour of the post boxes became a standard feature.
Before this time, the preferred colour option was green as a way to blend in with the green British pastures. However, after a barrage of complaints how the structures were to tough to locate because of the camouflage, it absolutely was agreed that bright red was the most suitable choice. The programme of re-painting lasted for approximately ten years.
For the people in particular, the introduction and refinement of letter boxes enhanced the capacity for sending and receiving mail easily. With the exception of oversized parcel delivery, everyone was afforded access to some delivery service never before witnessed in Great Britain.
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