post box

Wall-mounted cast-iron post box, c. 1890, with 'VR' royal cipher and raised crown motif. Raised ‘Post Office’ lettering to letter flap. Foundry mark to base, now illegible. Set into rendered pier set into rendered boundary wall outside of a two-storey house (not in survey). Located along road in the rural landscape to the southeast of Ballinamuck, just to the southeast of a rural crossroad junction.

An attractive item of street furniture that represents an early surviving artefact of mass-produced cast-iron ware. The modest design of the box is enhanced by the royal cipher (identifying the reign of Queen Victoria between 1837 - 1901) and the crown motif, which enliven the appearance of this otherwise functional object. Many pre-independence post boxes were simply painted green and retained their royal insignia but are now becoming an increasingly rare sight and are worthy of retention as historical artifacts. It was probably made by W.T. Allen and Company of London (1881 - 1955), who were responsible for many of the late-Victorian and Edwardian post boxes in North Leinster. Such cast-iron post boxes are becoming increasingly rare throughout Ireland, and are replaced with mild steel and aluminum models. It is located just to the south of a rural crossroad junction, a logical site for a post box.