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This page is dedicated to the photos of letter boxes in the Teesdale DL12 Postcode Area. In the main, they were taken by Ronnie Walker and are of his 1997 / 98 survey. The only photo missing is that of Box No. 275 at Friar House, Ettersgill as it was stolen before he could take its pic. Until his retirement Ronnie worked as a Letter Administrator in Collection Admin. at the Darlington Mail Centre.
[Some recent additions / replacements have been added to Ronnie's initial survey.]
Thanks to Robbie Robson for keeping the Boxes painted red. He was also reponsible for painting some of the cyphers gold (now over painted red since 2002).
Jeff Pattison keeps the Boxes maintained.
Both Jeff and Robbie are RoMEC Engineers.
Due to lack of use (only 2 items during Christmas Pressure 2006 - none since - and on Health & Safety grounds) Jeff sealed this box on 29/01/2007.
Private posting boxes were provided the PO Counter in Galgate the former Presto's Supermarket. Only Barnard Castle School still have private posting facilities.
Box 43 Bowes Moor. Located in the wall of the Bowes Moor Hotel. GR V Cypher.
As this box is so remote, and is rarely used, it is only cleared once a day, plate time 09:30am, when the mail delivery is made to the Hotel.
Box 56 Corn Close.
GR VI Cypher.
Note the floor mounted Pouch Box.
(With the introduction of Single Daily Delivery [SDD] there was no longer any need for the Pouch Box as the Startforth Cycle Post was encorporated in the motorised Rural Posts.)
Box 44 East Shaws.
E 11R Sypher.
Box 69 Woodside.
E 11R Cypher.
Located opp. 23 Woodside.
Box 77 The Bank.
GR VI Cypher.
Located at the bottom of The Bank.
VR Cypher.
Box 79 Boldron.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 92 Newton Gates.
GR VI Cypher.
Located in Garden Terrace, Middleton-in-Teesdale.
Box 93 Harmire Road.
GR V Cypher.
Located opp. No. 17.
Box 94 Cross Lanes. VR Cypher.
As the Harmire Enterprise Park developed the pedestal box became inadequate for the increasing volumes of posted mail and was replaced by the pillar box above.
Box 95 Harmire Enterprise Park.
E 11R Cypher.
When the Enterprise Park first opened this box was located on the right close to the Harmire Road entrance. Upon removal of the Delivery Office the box was relocated to outside the new office.
VR Cypher. Located at Marwood School.
Box 101 Newgate.
Located corner 40 Newgate.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 103 Westwick.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 107 Mount Pleasant.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 109 Kinninvie.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 115 The Lendings.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 110 Startforth Park.
Located opp. No. 52.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 116 Meadowcroft, Cotherstone.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 118 Rokeby.
Located at the School House.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 122 Abbey Bridge.
GR V Cypher.
(The box was later demolised by wagon and not replaced on Health & Safety grounds.)
Box 124 Wycliffe.
Located at Rectory Farm.
ER V11 Cypher.
Box 127 Langdon Beck.
Located at the Langdon Beck Hotel.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 134 Cecil Road.
Located opp. No. 38.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 139 Baldersdale School.
ER V11 Cypher.
Box 140 White Rigg Gate.
E 11R Cypher.
(Box later stolen.)
Box 141 Brignall.
GR V Cypher.
Box 148 Bowlees.
GR V Cypher.
Box 147 Scargill.
E 11R Cypher.
(As this box was infrequently used it was relocated opp. to make it more accessible.)
Box 153 Dawson Road.
GR VI Cypher.
Box 155 High Force.
Located at the High Force Hotel.
VR Cypher.
Box 163 Snaisgill.
Snaisgill Road, Middleton-in-Teesdale.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 164 Hudgate,
Middleton-in-Teesdale.
GR V Cypher.
Box 170 Laneside,
Middleton-in-Teesdale.
E11 R Cypher.
Box 171 High Startforth.
VR Cypher.
Box 181 Dent Bank,
Middleton-in-Teesdale.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 174 Carlbeck School.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 185 Autons Corner.
GR VI Cypher.
Box 182 Briscoe.
GR VI Cypher.
Box 194 Cotherstone PO.
GR VI Cypher.
Box 188 Bowes PO.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 196 Eggleston PO.
(now closed)
GR V Cypher.
The Eggleston PO is now a Community Office in the Village Hall with the box on The Green.
Box 198 Forest PO. (Now closed the box remains at West Moor Riggs.)
E 11R Cypher.
Box 200 Greta Bridge.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 205 Lartington.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 201 Stainton Grove.
GR VI Cypher.
Box 208 Middleton-in-Teesdale PO.,
Market Place.
No Cypher.
Box 207 Mickleton PO.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 209 was in the wall of the former Delivery Office.
With the removal of the Delivery Office to the Harmire Enterprise Park a double box was installed outside the PO in Galgate.
Box 211 Reservoir, Hury.
GR V Cypher.
Box 213 Newbiggin-in-Teesdale.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 215 Romaldkirk PO.
GR V Cypher.
Box 221 Stainton.
Located opp. No. 5 Stainton Village.
E 11R Cypher.
Boxx 223 Whorlton.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 226 Kelton Road Ends.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 229 Hill Top.
GR VI Cypher.
Box 228 Forest School
GR V Cypher.
Box 230 Heather Brae, Snaigill.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 233 Galgate.
Located opp. 59 Galgate.
GR V Cypher.
Box 246 Holwick.
ER V11 Cypher.
Box 247 Hunderthwaite.
Located at Manor Farm.
E 11R Cypher.
Replacement for 262 Box.
Box 262 Folly Top.
GR VI Cypher.
(This box was 'cleaned out' by a speeding Mercedes.)
Box 269 Bowes Gate.
E 11R Cypher.
(This Box was also 'cleaned out' by a speeding motorist.
On Health and Safety grounds it's replacement is located around the corner in Thornberry Lane.)
Box 267 Middle Green, Mickleton.
E 11R Cypher.
GR VI Cypher.
Box 272 West Pasture, Lunedale.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 273 Gilmonby.
GR VI Cypher.
E 11R Cypher.
Box 275 Ettersgill, Friar House (stolen).
Box 277 Darlington Road.
Located at the junction of High Riggs.
E 11R Cypher.
(Replaced with larger pedestal box to take C4 envelopes.)
Box 291 Victoria Road, Barnard Castle.
Located opp. No. 5.
E 11R Cypher.
As part of Royal Mail's Licence proof of collection is required by the Regulator.
Therefore, each box now has it's own unique barcode inside which has to be scanned on the final collection each day (and not before due time too!). Day Tabs are then changed to indicate the next day of collection.
Yet another 'gem' added from Parkin Raine's archive.
Royal Mail Letter Boxes
A Joint Policy Statement by Royal Mail and English Heritage made in 2002.
The pillar box is as stylish now as it was in 1938. Such boxes will continue to add richness, colour and historical depth to the national street scene.
ROYAL MAIL LETTER BOXES
A Joint Policy Statement by Royal Mail and English Heritage
Royal Mail letter boxes are a cherished feature of the British street scene. As well as being in daily operational use for an essential public service, they are national icons and a highly distinctive part of our environment. Currently there are over 85,000 in England alone. The vast majority make a very significant contribution to the character and appearance of the areas in which they are located. In recognition of this and to mark the 150th anniversary of Britain’s first letter box, English Heritage and Royal Mail, with the approval of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), have agreed a joint policy for the retention and conservation of all Royal Mail letter boxes. This policy follows the recommendation set out in Power of Place: The future of the historic environment (English Heritage 2000) that wherever possible historic buildings and structures should be retained by agreement with their owners rather than relying solely on statutory designation and this advice is endorsed in A Force for Our Future (DCMS 2001).
LETTER BOXES – adhesive stamps. However, letters still
A BRIEF HISTORY had to be taken to the nearest letter receiving office, which could be miles The Royal Mail letter box was away. This led to the need for many introduced following the 1840 postal more convenient places where stamped reform, which provided for a universal letters could be posted. The novelist affordable postage rate. This was easily Anthony Trollope, who was a General
pre-payable by means of the new Post Office (GPO) official, provided. The first London pillar box on the corner of Fleet Street and Farringdon Street in 1855. Small lamp-post boxes were first introduced in 1896 and were specially common in rural locations. The adoption of the continental system of placing locked cast-iron pillar boxes at the roadside and the provision of regular collection times.
His scheme began in the Channel Islands in 1852 and was extended to the mainland in 1853.
The first letter boxes were hexagonal in form, but a wide variety of other designs quickly appeared. In 1859 an improved cylindrical design was created for standard use nationwide. This design had its posting aperture positioned beneath a cap for greater protection from rainwater. This standardised design of 1859 was itself soon followed by a variety of new designs: the elegant hexagonal Penfold box with a cap decorated with acanthus leaves (1866); a simple pillar surmounted by a cap with a dentil frieze around its edge (1879); and a large oval version of the simple pillar box form with separate apertures for town and country letters (1899).
From 1857 wall box-type letter boxes came into use for fixing into existing walls. Small lamp-post boxes were first introduced in 1896 for use in London squares and later in other areas, particularly rural locations. By 1860 over 2,000 roadside letter boxes had been set up in all parts of the United Kingdom; by the end of the century there were over 33,500, with many more found throughout the British Empire.
Since 1852 the main changes have been those of design and manufacture. Experimental designs have included a rectangular shape of 1968 and a radically different cylindrical design of 1980. However, new pillar-type letter boxes presently being produced reflect the same design and patterns that have served so well for 123 years: a simple cast-iron pillar with a cap and a double aperture oval box for town and city centre use.
POLICY GUIDANCE
Statutory Requirements
Royal Mail has a statutory right to place and retain letter boxes in the street under paragraph 1, Schedule 6 of the Postal Services Act 2000. Ownership remains with Royal Mail. The consent of the Highway Authority is not required for the installation of a letter box on the public highway, but in practice Royal Mail will always liaise with the Highway Authority and obtain its clearance for the proposed box prior to installation.
Planning permission is not normally required for the installation of a letter box. Letter boxes have deemed planning permission by virtue of the Town &
Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, as amended.
A Street Works Licence is not required for the installation of a letter box as Royal Mail is a statutory undertaker.
On private property, the consent of the site owner is always required for the installation of a letter box. In the absence of any agreement, letter boxes installed
on private property will remain in Royal Mail ownership under the terms of a deemed contractual licence. Royal Mail can be required, upon reasonable notice, to remove the letter box and make good the site.
Listing
In 1972 the Department of the Environment – the government department then dealing with the listing process – recognised that some rare early examples of pillar-type letter boxes dating from the period 1852–79, such as hexagonal Penfold letter boxes, were of special architectural or historic interest. Since then probably all of these surviving early examples have been listed. In addition some wall boxes have been included as a result of being part of the listed structure in which they are set. A total of 198 boxes of various different types are listed at present in England. However, following discussions between English Heritage and Royal Mail, a policy has been agreed for the retention of all letter boxes in operational service at their existing locations, unless certain exceptional circumstances necessitate their relocation. This therefore reduces very considerably the need to add boxes to the statutory list. Thus, while the current Royal Mail policy remains in place, as a general rule the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport sees no reason to revise the current criteria for listing letter boxes and will no longer add further letter boxes to the list unless exceptional circumstances apply.
Relocation or Removal Royal Mail policy is for the retention of all letter boxes in operational service in their existing positions.
If any problems arise with regard to individual examples, those concerned should approach the Royal Mail Collection Manager for the relevant postal district in the first instance. In the event of continuing uncertainty or an unresolved disagreement, the conservation officer of the local planning authority should be consulted for advice. The matter should then also be drawn to the attention of the National Street Furniture Manager, Royal Mail.
The relocation of letter boxes will normally only be agreed if reasonably required by a highway authority or other site owner, or if relocation is needed for an important operational reason. Operational grounds justifying the relocation of a letter box may include cases where changes in the street make it no longer convenient or safe for the public to use the letter box, or where servicing the box is not lawful or safe due to new traffic regulations or road safety considerations. The closure and relocation of a post office can also sometimes give rise to an operational need to relocate a letter box.
In the case of letter boxes which are already listed, listed building consent will be required for any works of alteration or relocation. However, where there are sound reasons for relocating a letter box for its physical protection and an appropriate new site has been identified, listed building consent should not normally be withheld.
Whether listed or not, if a letter box of historic interest is removed from its original site it should, so far as is practicable, be reinstated within the same locality. If it is no longer fit for operational use, it should be offered to a local museum or other appropriate local institution as an exhibit, exhibited at local Royal Mail premises or placed with the Royal Mail Heritage Collection.
Where relocation is proposed, prior written notification should always be made to the conservation officer in the planning department or the appropriate contact in the highways department of the relevant local authority. This should ensure that careful consideration is given to the need to relocate the box and assist in identifying an appropriate new site.
Careful provision is made for the maintenance of letter boxes installed in privately owned properties.
The removal of all letter boxes should be carried out by Royal Mail technicians or by contractors appointed and supervised by them an not by any other contractor. (Special care and techniques have to be used in removing cast-iron boxes to avoid damage because they are often quite brittle and prone to shatter.)
Wherever practicable, a letter box of any type that has been removed and not immediately relocated will be retained for future operational use, following any
necessary refurbishment.
A letter box will not be disposed of if it can be repaired and refurbished so it is fit for future operational service. If the condition of the letter box is such that repair is not practicable and it is not of historic interest, serviceable parts will be salvaged for the future repair of operational letter boxes where possible.
In recent years Royal Mail has received an increasing number of requests from the owners of private property for the removal of wall boxes installed at their premises. If the wall box concerned is not listed nor of local historical interest, Royal Mail have a legal responsibility to carry out its removal within a reasonable period. If the wall box is attached to a listed building or structure, listed building
consent is required for its removal. If the wall box is a local feature or of local historical interest, it is Royal Mail policy to leave it in situ. Royal Mail will arrange for the aperture to be sealed and usually for the box to be painted in a colour other than red. These conditions are frequently agreed to by site owners, where their main objection is loss of privacy resulting from the operational use of the box.
Pouch boxes will no longer be attached to letter boxes; where this has occurred in the past, they will be progressively removed.
Decoration and Maintenance:
All Royal Mail letter boxes will be painted in standard red and black livery. No variation is allowed, except in very exceptional circumstances where there are genuine historical reasons, such as the use of green and black livery for some early boxes or Air Force blue for surviving George VI airmail boxes.
Letter boxes are painted every three years. Local circumstances may require some boxes to be painted more frequently (e.g. locations – such as coastal sites – where abnormal levels of deterioration occur). All paint must be lead-free and of the correct specification (Royal Mail red, colour ref no. 538 BS381C and Black, colour ref no. 00E
53, BS4800).
A number of local authorities have attempted to apply unsuitable anti-graffiti finishes to letter boxes. These anti-graffiti coatings are wholly inappropriate for letter boxes and are not permitted. Royal Mail has developed its own high-quality anti-graffiti finish, but this is only suitable for pouch boxes and new letter boxes. All other letter boxes will be painted using lead-free gloss paint.
The highlighting of specific features on letter boxes, such as the Royal The letter box on the right is a rare George VI airmail box painted in the correct Air Force blue. These letter boxes are located outside Windsor Castle.
Letter boxes are a cherished feature of the British street scene. Gold highlighting is only allowed where there is historic justification. Cypher and crown in gold, is not
normally allowed other than in exceptional circumstances on some pillar boxes where there is historic justification. Where gold highlighting is used, it should be applied to the Royal cypher and crown only. No other graphic elements or wording on the box (e.g. Royal Mail or the manufacturer’s name) should be treated in this way. Lettering enamel should be used and covered with a varnish to minimise weathering. The use of gold paint is not permitted.
Surviving oval enamel Post Office directions signs on the caps of some pillar boxes are increasingly rare and normally should be repaired and restored rather than removed.
Robust fault reporting systems must be put in place to ensure the speedy repair and maintenance of letter boxes.
Letter boxes should be washed regularly to ensure a smart appearance. Special arrangements may be necessary for boxes that are sited on busy roads where dirt can accumulate quickly. These boxes have a high visibility and must be kept as clean as possible.
Flyposting and graffiti should be removed as soon as possible. Royal Mail will prosecute any person aprehended defacing, vandalising or otherwise damaging a letter box.
CONCLUSION:
This joint policy statement will be particularly useful for Royal Mail staff responsible for the management and maintenance of the national stock of letter boxes; for local authority planning, conservation and highways staff; for those involved in managing change for the local amenity societies; for interest groups; and for the general public. Royal Mail letter boxes add richness, colour and historical depth to the street scene and are so highly regarded that they have become part of the national image. This statement guarantees a secure long-term future for Royal Mail letter boxes of all types.
FURTHER READING :
The extensive records maintained within the Royal Mail group archives and by Royal Mail Heritage Services, together with the grand catalogues compiled by the Letter Box Study Group, mean that letter boxes are well documented.
Useful further references include:
History
Aaron, H 1987. Street Furniture, 2 edn.
Princes Risborough: Shire
Farrugia, J Y 1969. The Letter Box: A
history of Post Office pillar and wall
boxes. Fontwell: Centaur Press
Glancey, J 1989. Pillar Boxes. Chatto &
Windus
Letter Box Study Group. Grand
Catalogues 2002
Robinson, H 1953. Britain’s Post Office:
A history of development from the
beginnings to the present day. Oxford:
Oxford University Press
Robinson, M 2000. Old Letter Boxes,
2 edn. Princes Risborough: Shire
–– 1988. A Guide to Rare British Letter
Boxes. Letter Box Study Group
Policy
Department of the Environment /
Department of National Heritage
1994. Planning Policy Guidance:
Planning and the historic environment
(PPG 15). London: HMSO
English Heritage 2000. Streets for All:
A guide to the management of London’s
streets. London: English Heritage
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further information on Royal Mail letter boxes manufactured and installed from 1853–1974 can be obtained from:
The Letter Box Study Group
c/o The Membership Secretary
38 Leopold Avenue
Handsworth Wood
Birmingham B20 1ES
Email: enquiry@lbsg.org
Web: www.lbsg.org
Other relevant information can be obtained from:
Royal Mail Group Heritage Services
Freeling House
Phoenix Place
Mount Pleasant
London WC1X 0DL
Tel: 020 7239 2570
Search room open Mon to Fri 9.00 am
to 4.15 pm (except Bank Holidays and Christmas week)
USEFUL CONTACTS
The National Street Furniture Manager
Royal Mail Service Delivery
South East Anglia Mail Centre
Winsford Way
Chelmsford CM2 5AA
Tel: 01245 234835
Royal Mail Environment Group
11th Floor
Impact House
2 Edridge Road
Croydon CR9 1PJ
Tel: 020 8681 9041
Fax: 020 8681 9148
Images of England
National Monuments Record Centre
Kemble Drive
Swindon SN2 2GZ
Tel: 01793 414779
Email: ioeenquiry@englishheritage.org.uk
Web: www.imagesofengland.org.uk
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2–4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH
Tel: 020 7211 6000
Fax: 020 7211 6210
Email: enquiries@culture.gov.uk
Web: www.culture.gov.uk
English Heritage is the Government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment. English Heritage provides expert advice to the Government about all matters relating to the
historic environment and its conservation.
Royal Mail letter boxes, the Royal Mail Cruciform and the colour red are registered trade marks of the Royal Mail Group plc. All rights reserved.
For further information (and copies of this
leaflet, quote 50706), please contact:
English Heritage
Customer Services Department
PO Box 569
Swindon SN2 2YP
Telephone: 0870 333 1181
Fax: 01793 414926
E-mail: customers@english-heritage.org.uk
Royal Mail Customer Services Centre
Clippers House
PO Box 740
Salford
M50 3YY
Letter boxes are national icons and a highly distinctive part of our environment. The fluted pillar box of 1856 is
Grade II Listed and found in the Malvern Hills, Worcestershire. Photograph can be found - English Heritage’s Images of England website, UID 152138.
The Letter Box Study Group Trust
The main aims of the Group are to encourage research, preservation, restoration and awareness of letter boxes and the definitive description and documentation of their types and locations.
The Letter Box Study Group has the enviable position of being the only organisation in existence to have a comprehensive system for defining and numbering British letter boxes - and it is for this reason that the Group is recognised as the definitive authority on the subject, acknowledged by Royal Mail and the British Postal Museum & Archive.
www.lbsg.org
1854: Early Hexagonal Post Box Post box in the style introduced by Anthony Trollope
1855: Barnes Cross; An example of this box still remains at Barnes Cross in Dorset; Made by Butt & Co of Gloucester
1856: Fluted with vertical aperture; Same design was made in red and green; Made originally by Blaylock, iron founder, and later by W. Turner for use in Dubin; Some kept the vertical aperture but by 1856 the horizontal posting hole was becomming more popular
1856: Crown & Cushion; Made by Smith and Hawkes, Birmingham; They had an elongated domed roof upon which rested a crown; Only size of these were ever made because of a design interpretation fault. This resulted in the finished boxes being over 8 feet high
1857: London Special postbox; Highly decorative boxes made by Smith and Hawkes of Birmingham; Fifty were ordered and thirty one were used in London
1859: the design of post boxes was standardised; Rochdale Box with lamp; Taken from a french idea; The original is in a local Museum in Rochdale
1859: Improved standard wall box; Made by Smith & Hawkes this wall box had a better portch over the aperature; These boxes were introduced to rural communities whose inhabitants had previously had to wait at the roadside- in all weathers- for the arrival of the PO messenger;
1863: Liverpool Special; The original interior bag had been replaced in earlier boxes by a wire basket; When earlier boxes were being emptied it would draw large crowds because the mail was visible, so Cochrane and Co were commissioned to produce these new attractive boxes with the old bag system, ensuring that letters would not get wet, and could not be seen;
1866: Penfold Hexagonal; Known as the 'New Standard Letter Box' designed by J.W. Penfold and built by Cochrane in Birmingham; Examples of these can be seen in Pulteney Street, and Laura Place, Bath;
1896: Lamp Letter Box; Residents in London's squares were campaigning for posting facilities within their squares, and so these small boxes began to be attached to lamp posts since walls were not often available for use; Later lamp boxes began to be fitted in rural areas;
1887: Aperture in Door; Post Box design had been geared to smaller Victorian envelopes; As the size of envelopes increased larger apertures became necessary
1930-38: Blue Air Mail Box; Special airmail boxes in blue were placed at important sites; They only lasted for eight years because rapid expansioin of the air service to Europe and the British Empire, made their usefullness redundant; One can still be seen outside Winsor Castle;
1936: Edward VIII; Pillar box with Post Office sign on top
1952: EIIR Post Box; This is the familiar and well known British post box still seen today;
1958: Double Aperture;
1980: Modern Postbox; Constructed from impact resistant cast iron; Modern design with rotary dial indicator indicating next collection; Suitable for new housing development areas;
1998: Central pole mounted postbox; Constructed from impact resistant iron; Mainly suitable for rural areas;
