post box

Freestanding cast-iron pillar box, erected c.1890. Cylindrical shaft on moulded plinth base with moulded necking and dentil frieze to shallow domed cap. Shaft has ‘VR’ royal insignia with manufacturer's name to base 'Handyside and Co. Derby and London'. Sited on concrete footpath with granite kerbing at junction of North Circular Road and Richmond Street North.

Dating from the late Victorian period, this pillar box is an attractive item of street furniture and represents the spread of the postal service. The modest decoration seen in the moulded neck and dentil frieze in addition to the monogram, enhance the utilitarian object. Andrew Handyside was a Glaswegian who took over the Britannia Foundry in Derby in 1848. They were originally located in Leicester. The castings manufactured by the firm were renowned all over the world for their strength and quality. In 1853 they made their first post box securing a contract in 1879 to supply large quantities. They continued to manufacture all varieties of post box into the early twentieth century. It was not until November 1887 that it was realised that the new cylindrical boxes did not bear the royal cypher or indeed any indication that they were Post Office property. By the end of the year a new design incorporating the royal cypher on the door and the words 'Post Office' on the collar below the rim of the roof, had been approved.