MonoMonday: Letter Box

Jensphotos (a fellow "Novocastrian" from the "other" Newcastle, Down Under) is hosting MM this months - thanks Jenny!

Today she'd like to see some letterboxes. This is one from the Victorian era and is still in use today. In 1866, architect J.W. Penfold was commissioned to design a new standardised pillar box. These hexagonal boxes, with the top decorated by acanthus leaves, bud and decorative balls, were produced in three sizes by Cochrane, Grove & Co of Dudley, and were named after its designer (you can just read "Cochrane & Co, Dudley" on the base of the box if you view it large). Early examples had the aperture high up on the box - and as I'm writing this I've spotted an example already blipped by Cor61, at Queensferry near Edinburgh. After complaints that letters were getting stuck in the top, the aperture was moved further down in later designs so my example here must be a later design. The boxes were only made for a period of 13 years, between 1866 and 1879 and are now relatively rare. (Apparently there is one at Tower Bridge in London, but that's a fake one replica erected in 1989.)

It's a shame that the surroundings for this one are rather mundane, with modern parked cars behind it, but I've done my best to give it an olde-worlde look.

PS My Editor is rather better today and I'm still OK and negative on lateral flow, but fingers still crossed!