Explore
Collection highlights
Start here for the letter box collection: browse by reign from Victoria to Charles III, then private boxes, overseas examples, and the full listing.
Pages are updated as boxes are restored or newly photographed. For the full chronological index of reign pages, see By monarch.
By reign
Primary gallery pages for each monarch represented in the collection.
-
Victoria Regina 1852–1901
From early wall boxes to Penfolds and Jubilee pillars; the foundation of the collection.
Victoria acceded in 1837, but British roadside letter boxes were not introduced until 1852.
-
Edward VII 1901–1910
Edwardian pillars, wall boxes, and lamp boxes, including closed-scroll cipher examples.
-
George V 1910–1936
A wide reign of designs, Ludlows, and the signatures that identify makers and foundries.
-
Edward VIII 1936
A short reign and scarce boxes; replicas and related artefacts help tell the story.
Edward VIII abdicated before coronation; his brother Albert succeeded as George VI.
-
George VI 1936–1952
Inter-war and wartime patterns, including familiar GR pillars still common on the street.
-
Elizabeth II 1952–2022
Post-war pillars, wall boxes, and later types through to modern Royal Mail designs.
-
Charles III 2022–
CiiiR pillars, lamp boxes, and solar-powered Parcel Combination boxes from the present reign.
Further highlights
Specialist themes and tools beyond the reign galleries.
- Private posting boxes Boxes used by businesses and institutions rather than on the public highway. Open
- Overseas boxes Letter boxes from beyond the UK that sit alongside the British collection. Open
- Ludlow tour of Britain Ludlow wall boxes mapped across Britain and Ireland, with county jump links. Open
- Post box listing A searchable-style inventory of boxes in the museum, with type codes and notes. Open
- Post boxes on stamps Philatelic views of letter boxes drawn from the museum’s holdings. Open
- Post Office direction signs PODS and related street furniture from the 1930s onwards. Open