Channel Islands: St John
Posted by: 
Morn Hyland
N 49° 14.768 W 002° 08.318
30U E 562691 N 5455174
Quick Description: The advent of the British wayside letter box can be traced to Sir Rowland Hill Secretary of the Post Office, and his Surveyor for the Western District,and noted novelist, Anthony Trollope,
Location: Jersey
Date Posted: 7/2/2009 8:17:24 AM
Waymark Code: WM6PJY
Views: 2
Long Description:
Noted novelist Anthony Trollope was sent to the Channel Islands to
ascertain what could be done about the problem of collecting the
mail on a pair of islands. The problems were caused by the
irregular sailing times of the Royal Mail packet boats serving the
islands due to weather and tides.
His recommendation back to Hill was to employ a device he may have
seen in use in Paris: a “letter-receiving pillar”. It was to be
made of cast iron, about 1.50 metres high, octagonal in design and
painted olive green. Trollope estimated that five would be needed
for Jersey. The foundry of Vaudin & Son in Jersey was
commissioned to produce them and the first four were erected in
David Place, New Street, Cheapside and St Clement's Road Saint
Helier and brought into public use on November 23 1853.
Tell us about the area the post box is situated.:
Situated very close to the Local shops & Parish Church in St John
Condition of the box: Good/Average/Poor: Good
Is this post box still in use?: Still in use
Is VR embossed on the post box or is it an "anonymous" box?: VR embossed
Any other embossed lettering, such as manufacturer?: manufacturer has been obscured by thick paint
Manufacturer Inscription: Unreadable
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