Post boxes

From Jerripedia

The evolution of post box
design in Jersey

Although the postal system had been underway for a long time, collection boxes in the streets were newly introduced in 1852, copying the idea from the continent, Jersey being the
testbed for the British Isles

The first pillar boxes, made by John Vaudin, were opened on 23 November 1852 at

David Place: Nearly opposite the Rectory (near Val Plaisant)
New Street: In front of Mr Fry's, painter and glazier
Cheapside: Top of the Parade (or Elizabeth Place as it is now)
St Clement's Road: Corner of Plaisance (now the entrance to Howard Davis Park)

Victorian

These first boxes have all gone from Jersey. Now the earliest box is in the Central Market, an 1866 John Penfold design

Prior to 1859 there was no standard colour. In 1859 a bronze green colour became standard so as not to appear too obtrusive in the landscape. So effective was this that complaints were received by people having difficulty finding them. The Post Office investigated alternative colours and initially settled on chocolate brown. This required an extra coat of varnish however, so proved more expensive than an alternative suggestion of bright red. The new colour was introduced in London in July 1874 and it took 10 years to complete the programme of repainting.

From 1879 to 1905 pillar-boxes were made by the "Andrew Handyside" foundry in Derby. These boxes are easily distinguished by the two protruding ornimental rings around the top of the box, above the door.

The earliest Handyside boxes had no Royal Cypher and are known as "anonymous" boxes, such as this one at the Living Legend, which is also early and unusual with its 'high aperture'.

As Wikipedia says, "the original design was prone to communications becoming caught under the rim of the cap. This was solved by lowering the aperture so that it falls centrally between the two raised beading lines."

Jersey's Victorian wall boxes sport manufacturers names such as "Eagle Range & Foundry Co, Birmingham" (St Mary's Church and Flicquet), "Smith & Hawkes of Birmingham" (St Saviour's Church, Rue D'Aval, Gorey Hill, La Route de St Jean), "Bernard P Walker of Eagle" (Mont Pinel) - all three variations were from the same factory in Birmingham; it just changed hands rather frequently during this period.

The Central Market postbox, Jersey's earliest surviving box
An early Handyside box at the Living Legend, which is also unusual with its 'high aperture'
Another high aperture anonymous Handyside can be found at the corner of Queen's Road and Queen's Lane
Roadside wall boxes first appeared in 1857 as a cheaper alternative to pillar boxes, costing only a quarter of the price of pillar boxes. Nowadays it's the opposite way around, it's cheaper to buy something ready made than pay for local labour to erect and maintain blockwork
Jersey has some narrow Victorian wall boxes, including this design with collection information in the lower panel (Rue D'Aval, St Mary's Church, Gorey Hill, Fliquet)
And the top panel (St Saviour's Church and the old convent west of Six Roads)
This later design (six examples locally) is closer to the standard wall boxes we know today
A handful of wider VR boxes are around, and an even larger wall box rests at St John's Village

Edward VII

With an Edwardian version at Seaton Place (Gloucester Street end). At first, little more was changed than altering the VR letters to ER
Midway through the reign the elaborate scroll cipher of Edward VII began to appear on post boxes. This one at Les Chenolles, St John, is a 'lamp box' (designed to be clamped to lamp posts, or free-standing on a pedestal) pressed into service as a wall box
Early WT Allen design (about seven of these) with panel at the top of another beading panel, some offset to the left for some reason
Others more central - this one at FB fields
This one with the cipher (at Old Trinity Hill)

George V

Another lamp box used as a wall box, on St Clement's Inner Road in the Mont Ube area
This large wall box at Boots in St Helier is relatively unusual for being made by McDowall, Steven and Co, Falkirk (see also a George VI example at Bagatelle Parade at Five Oaks)
As is this one off Roseville Street in Marett Road
Newly repainted at Le Hocq (one of about 27 similar)
Or faded like this one in Bagatelle Road, notable as one of two rarities in Jersey (the other in Rue de Brabant near the Steam Museum) made by Derby Castings Limited, Derby - who only made boxes for one year, 1932
Three boxes, like this one in Vallee des Vaux (also La Sergente St Brelade and Queen's Road / St John's Road), have a much smaller GR
Or like this slightly broken one at Corbiere (and at Rue de Bocage off La Haule Hill), the G and R at the top
Finally the inner panel is dropped a little to make room for the Next Collection plate (St Clement's Church among about nine George V examples), and this design stays with us from now on

George VI

First, the McDowall, Steven example near Five Oaks
A faded wall box, one of 18 George VI, all from WT Allen
And a repainted one. Maybe the cipher is too fiddly to highlight in gold?

Elizabeth II

In the reign of Elizabeth II the pillar box is once again affordable, and here's a classic design nicely painted (Green Street). Others are found in the Parade (Elizabeth Place end), nearby inside the Hospital reception area, at Maufant Co-op, Grands Vaux shops, Quennevais estate, St Peter's Co-op, St Ouen shops, and Sandybrook
There are also more squat examples at Miladi Farm and Roseville Street
The one in the Parade has the remains of a sign holder on top. On the mainland these signs pointed to the nearest post office
The Caledonia Place box (by the museum) shows how much may be underground to keep it secure
The K Type pillar was designed by Tony Gibbs, who won a 1979 competition between three designers, and it was introduced on 31 July 1980. It does have that unmistakable 80s feel to it. Here is the untidiest, box no 1 at Georgetown.
K Pillars are paired up with larger neighbours at Red Houses, La Collette near Victoria Pier, and in David Place by the Odeon
A fresh coat of paint and some gold makes a slight difference. See them also at Green Island Spar, Gorey Village, Rue a Don's garage, Colomberie, Quennevais Precinct, St Aubin and the Co-ops at Pontac, Val Plaisant and Beaumont
Our only real 'lamp box' is at the Albert Harbour Terminal
A pair of larger wall boxes at Broad Street Post Office
So far I've found about 42 of the familiar wall boxes (either from WT Allen or Carron Co. Falkirk, Stirlingshire who joined in within this reign until circa 1980)
Some recently repainted, with a gold cipher
Square post boxes simply don't inspire much love (this one in the Parade / Union Street)
Or with an ugly black hinge, like this one in the airport departures hall
Plat Douet Road (with Royal Mail logo rather than Jersey Post)
Co-op Grande Marche