Victorian Post Boxes| Buildings of Stoke-on-Trent

 

Victorian Post Boxes

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Victorian Post Boxes
in Stoke-on-Trent

The first pillar boxes were erected in 1852 at St Hellier in Jersey, in 1853 the first pillar box on the British mainland was erected at Carlise.

In 1879 came the cylindrical design of pillar box, which apart from a few recent experiments has changed very little since. The early boxes had no royal cipher and are known as 'anonymous' boxes. This oversight was corrected from 1887 when the words POST OFFICE were also placed either side of the aperture.

Andrew Handyside and Company was an iron founder in Derby in the nineteenth century. The company's output ranged from garden ornaments to railway bridges. They produced lamp posts for the new gas street lighting and were one of the first to produce the new standard Post Office letterboxes.

 

Keelings Road, Northwood - near to Providence Square
Keelings Road, Northwood - near to Providence Square

Victorian pillar box of design dating from 1889–1901 (size B slim-line smaller version). Name of manufacturer (Handyside & Co., Derby & London) on black base

Liverpool Road, Stoke - near to Sheikh temple
Liverpool Road, Stoke - near to Sheikh temple

Victorian pillar box of design dating from 1889–1901 (size A large-capacity version). Name of manufacturer (Handyside & Co., Derby & London) on black base


Blake Street, Burslem - off Hall Street

Victorian wall box manufactured by "W.T. Allen & Co. London" (a firm that made post boxes from 1881)



 


February 2008