post box

Wall-mounted cast-iron post-box, installed c.1890, having raised 'V.R.' royal cipher and crown motif. Raised 'Post Office' lettering to letter slot and foundry name to the base (no longer legible). Set into rendered gable wall of factory building. .

A fine cast-iron item of street furniture, its modest design imprinted with the royal VR cipher and crown motif identifying the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). This post box is of a type cast by the foundry of W.T. Allen and Company of London (1881-1955) and was used across Britain and Ireland and in former British overseas possesions. Originally painted in characteristic red, it was repainted green after Independence as a physical record of secession from the United Kingdom. It is located close to a rural crossroads junction, a common site for post boxes. This simple piece of street furniture makes a positive contribution to the rural landscape to the north of Bailieborough and is part of the built heritage and social history of the local area.