post box

Freestanding cast-iron pillar postbox, cast c. 1890 and positioned c. 1920. Shallow domed cap with fluted rim, moulded neck and plinth, letter slot set in frieze with roll mouldings; relief mouldings 'Post Office' to frieze, royal cipher of Queen Victoria to door, and maker's mark 'Handyside Company of Derby London' to plinth to front. Situated at junction of Arnott and McMahon streets.

Not indicated on the 1911 map, this postbox was evidently relocated to this site. 'Penny Post' was introduced to Ireland in the 1840s, with the first roadside postboxes arriving in 1855. The cylindrical postboxes produced by Handyside of Derby were distributed from 1879. The British royal cipher on the door and the words 'Post Office' on the collar under the rim were introduced in 1887. The cipher of Queen Victoria retains its crisp detailing, despite the many coats of green paint applied following Independence in 1922. Items such as this are reminders of Ireland's colonial history. This simple but attractive postbox retains its early form and detail and contributes to the character of the streetscape.