post box

Freestanding cast-iron pillar post box, erected c.1905. Shallow domed cap with fluted rim, moulded neck and plinth. Letter slot set in frieze having roll mouldings. Relief mouldings, 'POST OFFICE' to frieze, crown and royal cipher of 'ER VII' to door, and maker's mark 'Handyside, Derby & London', to plinth, to front (south-east) elevation. Located on Burgh Quay's footpath at junction with Hawkins Street.

A fine example of an early twentieth-century cast-iron pillar post box, bearing the decorative royal cipher of King Edward VII, which enlivens this functional object. Pre-Independence post boxes were painted green following the establishment of the Free State, but retained their royal insignia, and are interesting reminders of Ireland’s colonial past. The foundry of Andrew Handyside & Company, whose insignia can be seen to the plinth, was established in 1848 in Derby, and held the Post Office contract to make pillar boxes for Britain and Ireland from 1878 to 1933 (known as Derby Castings between 1931 and 1933). This simple but attractive feature continues in daily use, and is a working, functional part of Dublin's heritage, adding to the overall character of the streetscape.