EHL166. GR (George the Fifth) Type 'A' Wall Box. Initial issue date unknown, but up to 1936. Eastbourne Station, Terminus Road, Eastbourne. what3words location: taker.moment.tent

Cast iron post box with GR cypher (George V) manufactured by McDowall Steven & Co Falkirk. 

The Letter Box Study Group: Type A with large cypher and small 4” crown manufactured by McDowall Steven is designated WB102/iii. 

I believe this is the only Wall Box of this size (the largest type) in Eastbourne.

Historic England: -

The roadside post box was introduced in Britain following the 1840 postal reform which provided for universal affordable postage. New adhesive stamps made pre-payment of postage easy. However, letters usually had to be taken to the nearest letter receiving office which could be miles away. This, together with the growth in demand for postal services linked to industrialisation and urbanisation, led to the need for many more convenient places where stamped letters could be deposited. The novelist Anthony Trollope, a General Post Office (GPO) official sent to Jersey to make recommendations, provided a solution. He adopted a system used on the Continent 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.

EHL90. GR (George the Fifth) Type 'B' c1911-1922. Willingdon Road opposite the entrance to Ocklynge Cemetery, Eastbourne. what3words location: empire.happy.liability

Cast iron letter box with GR cypher (George V) and stamp dispenser sign.  

The Letter Box Study Group: Type B (48” circumference) manufactured by McDowall Steven London & Glasgow with a ‘high cypher’ (large gap between GR and Crown) is designated PB26/i. 

Condition: Good.  Enamel stamp sign is in particularly fine condition.

Surveyed by Kevin Gordon.

EHL214. GR (George the Fifth) Type 'A' c1935-1936. Furness Road at the junction with College Road and South Street, Eastbourne. what3words location: tribe.chimp.king

Cast iron letter box with GR cypher (George V) and stamp dispenser sign.  

The Letter Box Study Group: Type A (62” circumference) manufactured by McDowall Steven London & Falkirk with a ‘low cypher’ (no gap between GR and Crown) is designated PB25/ii. 

Condition: Generally good.  Enamel stamp sign is in good condition, but the base appears corroded under the paintwork and the manufacturers details are difficult to read.  The rivet points of the stamp dispenser can clearly be seen on the side of the box.

Historic Context:  Originally a Victorian pillar letter box stood in this location as it appears on the revised 1898 map that was published in 1899.  At some point after 1935 it was replaced by the current GR (George V) pillar box with a stamp dispenser (no longer fitted).

EHL213. GR (George the Fifth) Type 'A' c1922-1927. Cavendish Place at the junction of Elms Avenue and Grand Parade opposite the pier, Eastbourne. what3words location: remission.flickers.monument

Cast iron letter box with GR cypher (George V) and stamp dispenser sign.  

I shall say this only once! In my opinion the 'GR' cypher of George V, is the plainest and most unexciting of all the Royal cyphers, but still historical and important nonetheless.

The Letter Box Study Group: Type A (62” circumference) manufactured by McDowall Steven London & Falkirk with a ‘high cypher’ (the gap between GR and Crown) is designated PB24/iii.  

Condition: Generally good, although the enamel stamp sign is corroded, and the base appears corroded under the paintwork.

Historic Context:  Originally a Victorian pillar letter box stood in this location as it appears on the revised 1898 map that was published in 1899.  At some point after 1922 it was replaced by the current GR (George V) pillar box with a stamp dispenser (no longer fitted).