post box

Freestanding cast-iron pillar postbox, installed c. 1905, having cylindrical body, shallow domed cap with fluted cornice, moulded neck and plinth. Letter aperture within raised frame and flanked by raised lettering 'Post Office' to frieze over curved door, latter incorporating lock plate and royal cipher of King Edward VII with crown motif. Maker's mark 'Handyside, Derby & London' to plinth. Located on Merrion Square near corner with Merrion Street Upper.

A well-preserved example of an Edwardian pillar postbox with its royal cipher prominently sited on Merrion Square near its junction with Merrion Street Upper. This particular box was erected between 1901 and 1905, after which the design was altered to feature the letter aperture as part of the door, rather than the body. Still in active use, this design is found elsewhere in the city and enhances the historic streetscapes of Merrion Square. A high-quality example of mass-produced cast-iron work by the firm of Andrew Handyside and Company, it is also a physical remnant of the last decades of British rule in Ireland, but now painted green.