post box

Cast-iron post box set into brick gate pier serving Lough Eske/Christchurch Church of Ireland Rectory (see 40909420), erected c. 1940, having raised 'P&T' monogram in Gaelic script to head and with foundry mark to base reading ‘W.T. Allen and Co., London’. Moulded architraved surround and with projecting letter flap. Still in use. Located adjacent to road in the rural landscape to the north-east of Donegal Town. Located to the north-west of the former Lough Eske Post Office (not in survey).

An attractive item of street furniture that represents an early surviving artefact of mass-produced cast-iron ware. Its survival is testament to the quality of its original design and of the materials used in its manufacturing. The modest design of the box is enhanced by the raised P&T motif (Department of Posts and Telegraphs) in Celtic Revival-style script and by the raised foundry mark to the base, which enliven the appearance of this otherwise functional object. The use of Old Irish lettering represents tangible, if subtle evidence of the promotion of an indigenous national identity by the newly independent state. This particular design probably dates to after c. 1937 as earlier post-independence post boxes usually had a 'SE' cipher. It was made by the W.T. Allen and Company of London (1881 – 1955), who were responsible for many P&T post boxes found throughout Ireland. It is set into a gate pier outside the Lough Eske Church of Ireland rectory, a focal point for the local community. It is still in use providing an important local social and community service. It may have replaced an earlier post box in this area associated with the former Lough Eske Post Office, which was located a short distance to the south-east of this site (depicted on Ordnance Survey third edition six-inch map of 1907). This simple piece of street furniture makes a positive contribution to the rural landscape to the north-east of Donegal Town, and is an addition to the built heritage of the local area.