Seen gracing street corners and dotted amongst British villages for centuries, the humble post box is a beacon of traditionalism and international communication. The famous red box was first popularised in the mid-1870s, an iconic image that still remains a quintessential part of British culture to this very day. Here at Black Country Metal Works, we’re very proud to stock a vast collection of genuine replicas inspired by the period post boxes of the good old days. Each taking on a unique slice of our island’s history through various royal cyphers, bold coloured finishes and beautifully intricate detailing, these post boxes are designed to embody the past whilst standing the true test of time. Here’s a little bit more about the history behind these renowned designs. But, first things first, what truly makes a post box worthy of the term ‘traditional’...
ROYAL CYPHERS
Depending on the time period in which a post box is made, an emblem depicting the current monarch will be displayed at the forefront of the design. These unique cyphers represent the relationship between The Royal Family and the postal service.
ORNATE DETAILS
As they say, it’s all in the details! Many traditional post boxes feature simple shapes and angles designed to highlight the royal cyphers. But some feature additional embossed detailing, such as classic fleur de lys and the emblem of the English lion.
CLASSIC FINISHES
Colours play a big part in the history of British post boxes. Our designs feature all the classic finishes - red, green and black - with the addition of a few modern shades for the more contemporary home. Nothing says ‘iconic’ quite like a red post box, though…
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A BRIEF HISTORY
Before the iconic roadside letter boxes were popularised, there were only two ways to send a letter. The first was to visit a Receiving House, much like our modern-day post offices, where senders could deposit their letters for collection and onward delivery. The second was to await a Bellman, a uniformed employee of the town or city who would collect letters from the public, ringing a bell to alert attention. These were also sometimes known as ‘Town Criers’.
In the 1850s, early versions of post boxes were common in both France and Belgium, but they weren’t introduced to the UK shores until 1852. A series of trial pillar post boxes, crafted from cast iron, were approved in the Channel Islands and dotted amongst Jersey. And, a year later after the trial proved to be a success, they started to appear across the mainland.
Initially, there were no set rules around what a post box should look like. But, with so many designs emerging and confusion building amongst the public, standardised designs were soon introduced. In 1879, the earliest version of what we still see today was first developed. The iconic design has been tweaked and changed over the years, introducing wall-mounted variations for smaller areas and larger free-standing designs for cities, culminating in what we now see lining streets to this day. You can find out more about The History of the Post Box here.
WHY COLOUR MATTERS
The first post boxes to grace the Island of Jersey were in fact red, however all post boxes across the Channel Islands and Mainland Britain were standardised to green in 1859. This was to make them less conspicuous, but the general public complained that they were too hard to find. This ensued a change back to red in 1874, a re-painting feat that took over 10 years to complete, ensuring that all post boxes were fully visible to the public.
Nowadays, all Royal Mail post boxes are red bar a few unique exceptions. Some of the original green post boxes still remain as part of an effort to preserve British history, blue post boxes can be found in some locations for airmail letters, and a number of post boxes were painted gold to highlight the winners of the 2012 London Olympics (however, many of these have since been re-painted back to red).
This standardisation means that a red Royal Mail box can always be spotted amongst British streets for the efficient delivery of the public’s letters. Of course, privately owned post boxes can be any colour, and many of our customers choose to go for something a little bit different to showcase their individuality.
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CELEBRATING OTHER CULTURES
Whilst the classic red post box is a true icon of British culture, our neighbouring countries of Scotland and Ireland have slightly different standards for their letter boxes. Differences that we’re very proud to celebrate here at Black Country Metal Works…
IRELAND - before Ireland gained independence, all of their post boxes were painted red to align with the rest of Britain. However, painting their post boxes emerald green was the first act of the Irish Free State after independence, one of the most ubiquitous symbols of national identity. Our take on the Irish post box features a celtic harp emblem, and is available as a free-standing pillar post box or as a mountable column post box.
SCOTLAND - in Scotland, the standard colour of post boxes is still red. However, their letter boxes bear the emblem of the Scottish Crown, symbolising a separation from the royal cyphers used throughout England whilst honoring their personal history. Our take features the Scottish Crown on a blue post box, inspired by Scotland’s flag. Available as a free-standing pillar post box or as a mountable column post box.
THE TRADITIONAL PILLAR BOX
The traditional pillar box; arguably the most iconic shape and style when it comes to what we know today as a ‘British post box’. Designed by the novelist Anthony Trollope in 1852, who worked as a Post Office surveyor, this post box was the first to be used on the Channel Island before later rolling out across mainland Britain. It featured a hexagonal-shaped design.
As pillar boxes became more widespread across the UK, the cylindrical shape we see today was popularised as ‘standard’. The majority of pillar boxes produced after 1905 were crafted from cast iron. They featured the standard cylindrical shape with a matching iron cap, which was designed to sit atop the pillar box and secured by bolts. Numerous design changes have taken shape post-standardisation, including the more ornate hexagonal design we sometimes see replicated. This was invented by John Penfold, but was later deemed too expensive to produce, so the standard cylindrical shape came back into fashion again.
The one constant that always remained throughout these changes in size and shape was, and still is, the Royal cypher. This sits on the frontage of the pillar box coupled with ‘POST BOX’ lettering. Pillar boxes are key to the Royal Mail postal system, providing a safe and secure place for communities to drop off both letters and parcels. Placed throughout cities, towns and villages, the people of Britain will always find a pillar box nearby to ensure communication all across the globe. You can browse our collection of pillar post boxes here.
A CLOSER LOOK AT ROYAL CYPHERS
Royal cyphers have always been an important part of the UK’s traditional post boxes, representing the reigning monarchy at any given time in history. In the UK, there are a total of nine cyphers (to date in 2025), starting with the earliest roadside boxes featuring the cypher of Queen Victoria. Here at Black Country Metal Works, we stock a selection of genuine replicas including a few of history’s most famous royal cyphers. Here’s a closer look…
QUEEN VICTORIA
Used from 1837 to 1901, this cypher is the very first to grace the famous UK post box. This cypher features the letters ‘V’ and ‘R’ overlaid to represent Victorian Regina. ‘Regina’ meaning ‘Queen’ in Latin.
KING GEORGE VI
Used from 1936 to 1952, this cypher had a relatively short reign compared to others throughout history. It features an interlocking ‘G’ and ‘R’ as well as the Roman numerals for six; VI.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Used from 1952 to 2022, this cypher is one of the most iconic and widely used in modern Britain. It features a simple and easy to spot design, containing the letters ‘E’ and ‘R’ with the Roman numerals for two in its centre; II.
THE SCOTTISH CROWN
Used from 1952 to the present, this cypher can only be found in Scotland. It features The Crown of St Andrews, an emblem which Scotland will continue to use to represent their own history despite the change in British monarchs.
PERIOD POST BOX DESIGN TYPES
Throughout history, various shapes and sizes of post boxes have been introduced. The most iconic is the free-standing pillar design that we see outside of post offices and amongst city streets. However, the later introduced wall-mounted design is just as popular in smaller, more rural areas. A third type of design includes the lamp-post-mounted post box, introduced in 1896. These are less commonly seen today, replaced instead by column-mounted boxes. Here’s a little more about each design type…
FREE-STANDING PILLAR DESIGNS
Designed to stand up all on their own, these post boxes tend to feature the more iconic cylindrical or hexagonal shape combined with a large post aperture and tiered upper finial. Our designs all come complete with necessary ground fixings.
WALL-MOUNTED DESIGNS
These space-saving post boxes tend to feature a classic rectangular shape with royal cyphers at the forefront of their design. We stock a range of full boxes as well as front plates, which have been designed for internal wall or door fitting.
COLUMN-MOUNTED DESIGNS
Taking inspiration from lamp-post-mounted boxes, these designs come complete with a fitted column. This makes them free-standing, ideal for placement at the end of a drive or beside a porch. Base fixings provided to ensure security.
ANATOMY OF A TRADITIONAL POST BOX
ANATOMY OF A POST BOX
The below example features our ever-popular Red Elizabeth Regina Post Box & Column, one of our original reproduction designs. A true testament to British history.
Fancy adding a slice of British history to your very own home? Our collection of traditional and period post boxes is a must for those wanting to showcase their patriotism, whilst also providing a safe place for letters and parcels to be delivered throughout all months of the year. Click the button below to browse our full range of outdoor post boxes, including our more traditional designs and our modern offerings.
