post box

Freestanding cast-iron pillar postbox, installed c. 1895. Shallow domed cap with moulded neck and fluted cornice, moulded plinth. Letter slot having raised lettering 'Post Office' to frieze. Raised royal cipher of Queen Victoria to door. Maker's insignia 'Handyside & Co. Derby and London' to plinth. Located on footpath at junction of Harrington Street and Synge Street.

This well-maintained Victorian postbox is prominently located on the north side of Harrington Street outside St. Kevin's Church. It provides an aesthetically-pleasing focal point on the streetscape. The maker's insignia records the firm of Andrew Handyside who produced high quality, mass-produced cast-iron work in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The royal cipher of Queen Victoria enlivens the appearance of this functional object as well as providing important contextual information. A public postal system was introduced to Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century with the first postboxes arriving soon after. This piece of street furniture constitutes a working, functional component of Dublin's heritage, adding to the overall character of the streetscape.