Small oak country house National Standard pillar post box

This small country house letter box has been made to imitate a large, cast-iron British National Standard pillar box. The box has been crafted in oak, and fitted with a brass mount. It stands on a moulded circular base, and has a cylindrical body with a hinged door at its front. This door conceals a capacious, single-cell space. The box comes with its own key, so it may be locked. A notice at the centre of the door reads, ‘Next / Post / 2pm’, and ‘LETTERS’ is inscribed onto a brass plaque above, covering the mail-slot. Above, the cylindrical body is topped by a lid with a hexagonal base and domed top, which has been repeatedly carved with semi-circles around its rim.

This type of post box was designed by the English artist, Richard Redgrave in 1856. This design was altered in 1859 to become the first National Standard pillar post box. These were originally painted green, and it was not until the late 19th Century that red was adopted as the standard colour.

Due to its small size, and the fact that it is oak rather than cast-iron, it is likely this post box was created for a large, British country house. It would have been emptied every day by a servant in the mansion, and taken to the post office.