Licence Plates Explained.

The following is the original version of an article that I wrote for the forthcoming ELHS (Eastbourne Local History Society) booklet ‘Eastbourne’s Historic Street Furniture.’  

I have removed a number of pictures of Licence Plates and accompanying text so they are not over-duplicated in the Blog alongside the individual entries.  

Any additional updates or explanatory text is in italics.

I was invited by Kim Adams to write this article in 2023 after embarking on a of Eastbourne’s historic street furniture as part of a group (named at the end of this article) led by local historian Kevin Gordon.  I initially decided to concentrate on the Victorian licence plates that I had noticed at the Wish Tower over the years, although to start with I knew very little about them in terms of their historical significance.  My starting point were the articles written by Harold Spears.

The first ELHS article covering the history of the Victorian and Edwardian licence plates written by Harold appeared in September 1973 in Newsletter No10.  The article, titled ‘More Street Furniture – Licence Plates,’ explained that ‘The operation of vehicles, and other means of transport plying for public hire on the streets is regulated by licences granted by local authorities through powers vested in them by Acts of Parliament.  These arrived with the Town Police Clauses Act of 1847 whereby Hackney Carriages were required to be licensed.  The hiring of horses, ponies, and donkeys was brought under control by the Public Health Act 1875.  The Eastbourne Council in granting licences also designated the places where each category of the licence holder should stand whilst awaiting hire.  Relics of these forms of public transport can be found in the central parts of town.  Small metal plates defining the permitted areas for standing were planted at the bases of walls and fences adjoining the ‘stands.’  A number of these wall plates, although long since outdated, still exist in positions where they were placed in the closing years of the last century, and at the beginning of this century.’  The article also included the locations of any known extant plates.

Harold also wrote a follow-up article in 1974 titled ‘More About Vehicle Licences.’  Both articles, along with updated information, were combined in the original ‘EASTBOURNE’S HISTORIC STREET FURNITURE – MONUMENTS & MEMORIALS’ booklet published in December 1984. 

In April 2013 another survey took place with Michael Ockenden noting the following in Journal No168 ‘The late Harold Spears first recorded our various licence plates in Issue 10, back in 1973. These are: BCS (Bath Chair Stand), HCS (Hackney Carriage Stand), LPS (Luggage Porters Stand), SPS (Saddled Pony Stand), SDS (Saddled Donkey Stand), GCS (Goat Chaise Stand) and MCS (Motor Char-a-banc Stand).  Several members of the Research Group surveyed Harold’s locations and found that 14 plates are missing from the original 42.  A revised list will appear in the next Journal.’  The results were published in Journal No169 of Autumn 2013 on page 9 'with thanks to the survey group, especially Chris Neighbour.' 

I started my survey by compiling a chart listing all the sightings from 1973, 1984, and 2013.  Each site was then visited, with contributions from Kevin and my good friend Keith Bell, to find, photograph, and record any additional information, i.e., which plates were still in-situ, what condition were they in, and were they in danger of being lost to development etc.  Each plate would also be given a what3words GPS location.  Interestingly, the survey found four plates that had not previously been recorded, but more worryingly, a number of plates had disappeared since the last survey in 2013, although two that had been listed as missing were rediscovered.  The ‘new’ discoveries were found in Meads Road on the wall of Our Lady of Ransom Church (one BCS, and one HCS), in St. John’s Road on the wall of the electricity sub-station (one HCS), and a BCS in Upperton Gardens.   An additional LPS plate was later found by Kelly Van Doorn, bringing the total of ‘new’ discoveries to five.

After completing the survey, I decided to find out which plates might still be in storage as the current information was slightly confusing.  Harold’s 1973 article indicated a number were held by the ‘Public Library,’ and listed them as the BCS from outside 15 Bolton Road, the HCS from outside Elim Church in Hartfield Road, and the MCS from the wall of the Grand Hotel in Jevington Gardens.  This information is repeated in the 2013 survey report.  The 1984 booklet meanwhile stated ‘Since the original article was written in 1973, a number of them have been removed for various reasons.  Most of these were kept in store and in September 1984 they were re-instated by the Borough Council at the Society’s suggestion.  By having some replicas made, the Council was able to provide the Towner Local History Museum with one of each type.  Sites of those which were removed and are no longer available are marked with an asterisk.’ (See Bath Chair Stand, Elms Avenue, on Blog page ‘Licence Plates Surveys 1973 to 2023’).

I assumed that any plates still held by the library would be easy to locate, but tracking them down proved to be less than straightforward.   

After contacting the Central Library via East Sussex library services, it was determined that they hold no such items as ‘anything of that nature was moved to The Keep,’ but contacting The Keep in Brighton elicited a similar response from the archivist there.  An email was then sent to The Towner to enquire whether they still had the 1984 reproductions.  The Towner forwarded the query to Heritage Eastbourne who oversee the local history museum collection formerly housed in the original Towner Art Gallery (which was located opposite the Lamb Inn in Old Town).  At the same time I sent an email to the Eastbourne Heritage Centre (Carlisle Road), to enquire if they had any original plates stored.  Being new to active involvement in the local history scene, it was only at this point that I realised the Eastbourne Heritage Centre and Heritage Eastbourne were separate entities!

The first reply I received was from Kelly Van Doorn, the Heritage Collections Officer of Heritage Eastbourne, who advised that they had several licence plates in storage.  A visit to the Town Hall was arranged where the plates were photographed.  The following points were noted: three are originals; an HCS, an SPS (possibly the one that disappeared from the Wish Tower after 1996), and a BCS (from 15 Bolton Road as mentioned in Harold's 1973 article).  The fourth plate, an SDS, is obviously one of the reproductions made for the Towner Local History Museum.  It also transpired that there are another three plates in storage in the yet to be discovered ‘Box 99’; an MCS (most likely the one mentioned in Harold's 1973 article as being held by the library), an LPS, and a GCS with a broken stem.  Hopefully they will come to light one day to be photographed and the pictures added to the ‘Extant Licence Plates’ Google map (see ‘Additional Information’ at the end of this article) and this Blog.  Kelly did advise that the database is quite a few years old and lists items from a 1997 audit, hence 'Box 99' is yet to be discovered, but she is updating the database and has put the four I photographed in one location.  Even better was the fact that she told me she had spotted an LPS plate in Enys Road that is not recorded in any of the ELHS surveys.  I went straight there after leaving the meeting to photograph it and add it to survey results (credited to Kelly of course).  So, it would seem that some of the plates originally held by the library and the old Towner Museum are now stored by Heritage Eastbourne, although the Towner Museum collection of reproductions now just amounts to a single plate, the rest having completely disappeared.

Around this time, I received an email from Richard Crook of the Eastbourne Society who had been forwarded my email to the Heritage Centre.  He told me he had a LPS plate from St. Saviour's Church that had been dropped over the church wall into the grounds when resurfacing work to the pavement had taken place, and he intended to reattach it to the church wall if its exact original position could be determined, and if not, put it on display in the Heritage Centre.  We met on June 21st 2023 and inspected the wall of St. Saviour's to see if we could determine its original location, but without luck.  Richard suggested that the plate might originally have been painted dark green with white or cream lettering as there were still traces of green paint to be seen.  He also suggested that if the remaining plates were repainted in their original paint scheme it would help protect them from being discarded by any future pavement/wall repair crews as they would obviously be items that were of some importance if they looked like they were being cared for, and to this end a programme of repainting has been started by Bob Cookson. 

The LPS from St. Saviour's Church is now on display in the Eastbourne Society Heritage Centre, Carlisle Road.  Refer to Richard Crook.  Repainted by Bob Cookson 24/10/23.

In a separate development, a BCS plate was identified as ‘at risk’ late in 2022 by Keith Bell who was monitoring the building work at 10 Bolton Road.  The plate was put aside by the builders to be refitted after the boundary wall was resurfaced, but subsequently went missing.  It resurfaced on Facebook and was recovered in a combined effort between Kevin Gordon and the local Police Heritage Officer.  It was then repainted by Bob Cookson and refitted in its original position with the blessing of the building’s owner.

The final 2023 survey list recorded 56 plates, of which there are: -

BCS: 10 in-situ, 1 stored in the Town Hall, 8 that have gone missing since the 1973 to 2013 surveys.

GCS: 1 in-situ, 1 stored in the Town Hall in the missing ‘Box 99’.

HCS: 8 in-situ, 1 stored in the Town Hall, 6 that have gone missing since the 1973 or 1984 surveys.

LPS: 8 in-situ, 1 stored in the Town Hall in the missing ‘Box 99’, 1 on display at the Heritage Centre in Carlisle Road, 4 that have gone missing since the 1973 or 1984 surveys.

MCS: 1 stored in the Town Hall in the missing ‘Box 99’, 2 that have gone missing since the 1973 to 2013 surveys.

SDS: 1 in-situ, 1 copy stored in the Town Hall.

SPS: 1 stored in the Town Hall.

Overall, 4 plates went missing between the 1973 and 1984 surveys; 16 between 1984 and 2013; and another 5 between 2013 and 2023.  On the positive side, 5 previously unrecorded plates were found in 2023, plus 2 reported missing in 2013 were rediscovered.  The full list can be found on Blog page ‘Licence Plates Surveys 1973 to 2023’ which is an updated version of the 2013 survey.

Update: On April 5th 2024 a missing LPS plate from the Langham Hotel was given to Kevin Gordon by Julian Martyr.  It was repainted by Bob Cookson and reinstalled by the hotel owner.  This brings the total of LPS plates in-situ to nine.

Returning to Harold’s original articles; he went on to describe the various licence plates, starting with the Bath Chair Stand (BCS).  A Bath Chair he explained, was steered via a long bar attached to the single front wheel at one end, and a steering handle at the other.  The Bath Chair could either be steered by the passenger with the attendant pushing from behind, or pulled by the attendant from the front using the handle.  Another version had two shafts and was pulled by a donkey which was controlled by the passenger via reins, or the donkey could be led by the attendant.

A typical Victorian Bath Chair.  This example is located at the St John’s Local History Store, Upper Bristol Road, Bath.  The author of the picture (Rwendland) has allowed free usage under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported licence.

Harold’s 1974 article goes into more detail about the issuing of licences, the formation of a Bath Chairman Union in 1892, and also quotes from George Meek’s book ‘Bath Chair-Man’.  The 1911-1912 Ward Lock Guidebook to Eastbourne gives the Bath Chair fares as 1 shilling 6 pence (7½p in today’s money) for the first hour, then 6 pence (2½p) for each subsequent half hour.  In George’s book he writes ‘To the ordinary workman one shilling or one-and-sixpence per hour may sound extravagantly high pay.  He must bear in mind that, taking the weather and slack times into consideration, if we do an average two hours work a day, we are very lucky indeed.’

A row of Bath Chairs outside the pier.  The postcard is stamped and dated December 27th 1908.  Note that the chair on the left matches the design of the example in the St John’s Local History Store with the triple tier curved front springs.

In all the various articles, and in George Meek’s book, you will find the occupation written as Bathchair-Man, Bath Chair-Man, and Bath Chairman.  The ‘Minutes of the Watch Committee’ in the Eastbourne Gazette dated 5th June 1895 referenced in the LPS section in this article, shows it was clearly written as ‘Bath Chairman’. 

Hackney Carriage Stand (HCS)

The 1974 article stated that the classes of vehicles and operators required to be licensed varied over the years.  Between 1873 and 1876 Hackney Carriages were classified as: -

1st Class – Carriages drawn by 2 horses, and licenced for 4 or more passengers.

2nd Class - Carriages drawn by 1 horse, or 2 ponies or mules, and licenced for more than 2 passengers.

3rd Class - Carriages drawn by 1 pony or mule, and licenced for not more than 3 passengers.  

4th Class – Bath Chair whether drawn by hand or by a donkey.

In 1893 the list had expanded to: -

Hackney Carriages 1st Class – 59, Hackney Carriages 2nd Class – 5,

Hackney Carriages 3rd Class – 9, Hackney Carriages 4th Class – 50,

Hackney Carriages 5th Class (Goat Chaises) – 4

Saddled Donkey – 4, Saddled Pony – 2

1st Class Omnibus – 1, 3rd Class Omnibus – 3

Luggage Porters - 60

A 1909 postcard featuring a 3rd Class Carriage in Meads Road being pulled by a pony or a mule.  3rd Class Carriages were only licenced for ‘not more than three passengers’, but this one seems to be overloaded with an adult passenger and at least four children! Pity the poor animal.

Luggage Porters Stand (LPS)

The 1973 article stated ‘These stands were used by outside porters who had hand barrows, and were available for the carrying of luggage around the town, and to and from the Railway Station.’  The article then described their uniforms as just consisting of a peaked cap with an armband in the form of a metal plate, on straps, which was worded ‘Outside Porter.’  

There has been some debate lately about what exactly LPS stood for.  Generally, it has been accepted that it meant Luggage Porters Stand (see Harold’s 1973 article), but an alternative theory was that it stood for Licenced Porter Stand.  Thanks to Kevin Gordon’s research we can now settle on the former.  Kevin found a copy of the ‘Minutes of the Watch Committee’ in the Eastbourne Gazette dated 5th June 1895, that stated ‘Luggage Porters Stand, West Terrace – A petition was read from owners and occupiers of property in West Terrace, and also a letter from Mr. Alderman Sutton urging the Committee to remove the Luggage Porters Stand in this road.  It was resolved that the stand be removed to the Carriage Stand in the Terminus-road, opposite the railway refreshment rooms.’

This LPS plate illustrates the problems associated with their potential loss over time.  The first plate shown on the right was photographed in 1996 (picture courtesy of the Eastbourne Heritage Centre, Online Exhibit ES PH 0044, and featured in Richard Crook’s book ‘Eastbourne in Detail’).  It is located on the boundary wall of Eastbourne College adjacent to the Grange Road street-sign at the junction with Blackwater Road. 

The same plate was photographed again during the 2023 survey and was partially buried due to the pavement being reconfigured for better mobility access in this area and subsequent resurfacing.  

The plate after remedial work and painting by Bob Cookson.

Goat Chaise Stand (GCS).  Harold Spears informs us that these were small two wheeled carts pulled by goats.  They were led by a licensed attendant to take children for short rides.

The 1920 postcard shown right includes an illustration of a Goat Chaise by a father writing from the Albion Hotel, Eastbourne, to his daughter in Wales.  He writes ‘Dear Grace, we have seen some nanny-goat carriages with little girls in like you saw at Brighton like this (sketch of goat chaise).  I have no room for the little girl but she was like this, with a little dog like this (sketch of girl with dog on a lead).  Daddy x’

He also includes a sketch of an elephant (named Jumbo) with what appears to be an owl riding on its back, although it is unlikely that he saw this in Eastbourne!

Postcard below (courtesy of Kevin Gordon) showing one of the Brighton Goat Chaise’s referred to in the previous postcard.

Saddled Donkey Stand (SDS) and Saddled Pony Stand (SPS).  Both were used to give children rides.  There is an SDS plate opposite Grand Court near the WD stone/entrance to the Wish Tower grounds, but the only known SPS plate is stored by Heritage Eastbourne at the Town Hall (see ‘Plates Currently in Storage’).  It is presumably the one recorded at the Wish Tower in the 1973 and 1984 surveys, and was photographed in-situ in 1996 - see Eastbourne Heritage Centre Online Exhibit ES PH 0045.

Motor Char-a-banc (MCS).  The article in the 1984 booklet states ‘This one is a different shape with the letters in one line, and was obviously introduced later when this type of transport appeared on the streets applying for hire.  One of these is on the wall of the Wish Tower grounds, and another is on the wall of the Grand Hotel in Silverdale Road.’  The Wish Tower plate was photographed in-situ in 1996 (picture courtesy of the Eastbourne Heritage Centre, Online Exhibit ES PH 0040), and was recorded as still being in-situ in the 2013 survey, but has since gone missing.  The original location of the missing plate was found by carefully comparing the cement work and stones in the 1996 full size photograph to the pavement/wall today, and although the stones today are weathered and partially covered in moss and grass etc, the exact location was identified as being opposite the 'Grand Court 41-55' entrance (what3words: spice.august.mutual).  There does not appear to have been any pavement repair work done to the immediate area since the original photograph of the plate was taken, therefore any legitimate reason for its removal is a mystery.  Pictures of the current area can be found on the Licence Plate version of ‘Google My Maps.’  The Silverdale Road plate recorded in 1973 and 1984 has also gone missing.  Whether it was recorded in-situ in 2013 is unclear from the survey result. 

An article in the archive of Commercial Motor magazine dated 14th March 1922, and titled ‘Coaching From A Popular Seaboard Town’, is reproduced here (in part) with permission of the current publishers DVV Media Group. 

Referring to ‘Messrs Chapman of Eastbourne’ it informs us that they were established in the middle of the last century (1850’s), and virtually held a monopoly in the town with almost forty vehicles, mostly Dennis 28 seaters.  Prior to 1911, when five motor coaches were introduced, they had a stable of over four 400 horses.  The article goes on to describe the maintenance of the vehicles over the winter period, and explains that the garage where the overhauls are carried out is ‘hard by the company’s chief office at 1 Victoria Place.  It covers over half an acre, and the surrounding property which backs onto the garage walls is owned by the company, and is divided into cottages for the benefit of the driver employees, who can walk right from their homes into the garage without going into the street.  A Bowser underground petrol storage plant of 3,000 gallons capacity is installed in the garage, likewise oil tanks on the same principle.’  The article then explains the design and construction of the vehicles before discussing the parking arrangements in Eastbourne for coaches (Char-a-bancs) coming into town from surrounding areas.  Vehicles were required to drop their passengers just east of the pier before driving along Royal Parade ‘to the east of Beach Road to an open space known as Fisherman’s Green, where there is plenty of room for expansion.  Over 30 vehicles were accommodated at this spot on one day last year.’  Mention is also made of ‘The Cavendish Coach Co., the only other concern of any size operating coaches in Eastbourne…this company originally run under the name of Messrs. Bassett’s, is now owned and controlled by Mr W. Stretton…the fleet of coaches to be put on the road for the forthcoming season includes seven Napiers, one Studebaker, and one R.A.F. Crossley reconditioned model…’  The article then gives examples of Chapman’s tours to be conducted in 1922, including ‘Land’s End and the Cornish Riviera, 8 days, 15 Guineas’, or ‘Scotland – Inverness and Aberdeen, 20 days, 35 Guineas.’  The article finishes by giving details of the booking offices ‘Messrs. Chapman have three booking offices in Eastbourne, these being at Pier Head, Victoria Place, and Royal Parade, although most of the bookings for the longer journeys are affected at 33 Grosvenor Gardens, Victoria, London, SW.’

The above picture is reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic licence from the Caravans and Charabancs Flickr album.  It shows a 1920’s Dennis Char-a-banc in Bournemouth, which would have been the same type as used by Chapmans in Eastbourne.

From a slightly earlier period, the 1911-1912 Ward Lock Guidebook to Eastbourne states ‘Char-a-bancs and motor cars run daily from the Grand Parade to places of interest in the neighbourhood…the usual starting times are 10.30 and 2.30…Beachy Head (morning 1 shilling, afternoon 1 shilling 6 pence), Hurstmonceux (sic) and Pevensey Castles (2 shillings 6 pence), Abbott’s Wood and Thornwell Gardens (2 shillings 6 pence).  The guide lists prices for various destinations over two pages.

Prior to the introduction of the motorised Char-a-bancs by Chapmans in 1911, there existed their horse drawn equivalent.  The postcard below is titled ‘Char á bancs starting from Chapmans.’  The photograph was obviously taken outside their offices in Victoria Place.

In Mick Hymans book ‘A History of Eastbourne’s Buses,’ he informs us on Page 44 in the section relating to 1918 that ‘In November, Mr William Chapman died aged eighty-three at his home in Pevensey Road.  Mr Chapman built and ran the first charabanc [horse drawn] in Eastbourne and for twenty-five years ran horse-drawn buses.  He owned the first motor charabanc in Eastbourne and was the first proprietor to run trips to Scotland and the West Country.’  Interestingly, on page 160 of George Meek’s book he mentions the coming of motorised vehicles and the effect it had on the Bath Chairmen.  He wrote ‘Till the motor came we could look forward to doing fairly well in August and September, and so being able to pay off old scores (debts).  But now we do rather worse during the summer season than at other times.  I am writing this on the 19th of August 1908.  During the month so far I have earned only one casual shilling… and the other men are standing about in glum hopelessness.’  Clearly, the advent of the motor age wasn't welcomed by everyone.

Additional Information: -

The full list of licence plates, including the what3words GPS locations, will appear on an interactive ‘Google My Maps’ by Summer 2024 on the Heritage Eastbourne website.  Click on any of the locations either on the main map or the list of the left-hand side to reveal photographs and a short description.  You will also be able to zoom in and out to pinpoint each location.  This Blog and the Google map can be updated at any time if any other plates come to light, or if any are lost in the future.

All photographs of the licence plates in this Blog were taken by the author unless attributed otherwise.

Sources: -

Previous ELHS articles referenced in this article can be found by purchasing the USB Data Stick ‘The Eastbourne Local History Society: The First 50 Years’ from the society, which contains copies of Issue 1 (Autumn 1970), through to Issue 198 (Winter 2020).  

Eastbourne Society Heritage Centre website.

Commercial Motor website.  Commercial Motor is a weekly magazine that was founded in 1905 by Edmund Dangerfield, it is notable for having been "the first journal to be devoted exclusively to the commercial vehicle engaged in the conveyance of goods or in passenger carrying".  Available from ‘archive.commercialmotor.com’ [accessed 26/09/23].

Bath Chair-Man by George Meek.

A History of Eastbourne’s Buses by Mick Hymans.

The main study/survey group led by Kevin Gordon included: Kim Adams, Dave Alston, Adrian Backshall, Keith Bell, Bob Cookson, Warwick Davies, Rosalind Hodge, Lionel Moth, Chris Searle, Paul Skinner, and with assistance from, Katherine Buckland (Heritage Eastbourne), Benedict Burbridge (Sussex University), and Richard Crook (The Eastbourne Society).

I would like to express my thanks to the following who have all helped me in one way or another over the past year since I started getting involved with the local history groups, and who have also made contributions to this article: Kevin Gordon, Kelly Van Doorn, Keith Bell, Richard Crook, and Bob Cookson.

EHL374. Rediffusion TV. c1960's. Belmore Road near the junction with Melbourne Road. what3words location: shepherds.fuss.coder

These covers can be found all over Eastbourne, and indeed all over the UK and abroad.

From Wikipedia: -

Rediffusion was the trading name of Broadcast Relay Service Limited, founded in March 1928 by Joshua Powell.  In January 1929, the company introduced its first cable radio service in Hull to customers frustrated with the difficulties of tuning in weak radio broadcasts. In the customer premises, nothing more than a selector switch and loudspeaker were needed. Initially, the service consisted primarily of rebroadcasts of the BBC Radio service, which was reflected in the trading name: Rediffusion simply means "broadcasting again".  Rediffusion quickly branched out into making, renting, and selling radios. With the arrival of the first experimental television broadcasts in the 1930s, Rediffusion began manufacturing TV sets and supplying "Piped TV", an early form of Cable TV, to its customers, until the cessation of television broadcasts during the Second World War.

In 1947, British Electric Traction acquired a substantial minority interest in Rediffusion.  BET's financial resources enabled Rediffusion to capitalise on the growth in post war television, which restarted in 1946. Initially, the company installed cable TV systems in blocks of flats in London, and over the next few years expanded outside London. The company was also involved in the sale and rental of television sets.  With the passage of the Television Act 1954, Rediffusion joined forces with Associated Newspapers, a subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust, to form Associated-Rediffusion, and won the coveted London weekday ITV broadcast franchise. They began broadcasting on 22 September 1955.  By 1964, Associated-Rediffusion changed its name to Rediffusion London.

In 1967 the Independent Television Authority ordered Rediffusion London to merge with ABC Weekend TV, the holder of the weekend Midlands and North of England franchises, to form Thames Television, with ABC given the controlling interest and Rediffusion holding 49%. Thames Television was given the new weekday London franchise, with ABC's existing franchises awarded to other companies.

Rediffusion also offered a low-bandwidth cable TV and radio distribution system. This was based on connecting homes with multiple twisted-pair cables. Each pair carried a single TV or radio channel. The system was provided in most United Kingdom towns. Selection of TV or radio station was by means of a rotary switch, usually mounted on a wall or window frame close to the point of entry of the cable into the home.  Rediffusion abandoned this system of TV and radio distribution by the end of the 1980’s. The wall mounted switches, external junction boxes and street cable ducts are still visible in places that have not been redeveloped since the late 1980’s.  The company also experimented with its local cable operations: a local community station in Bristol ("Bristol Channel") from 1973 to 1976, and an optical fibre system in Hastings in 1976.  The Rediffusion retail chain; renting and servicing TVs, radios, VCRs, and hi-fi systems, was common on high streets until it was bought by Granada Rentals in 1984.

On a personal note, I well remember the rotary control box being installed in our home in approximately 1968 (at a guess), and how excited we were (well me anyway!) with this cutting-edge technology!  Also, just a few years ago when I was repainting the front fascia of my present home, I decided to remove all the old Rediffusion cabling and junction box.  It was amazing how heavy the cabling was when I finally got it all down, obviously nothing like the lightweight fibre-optic cables of today.

Additional information from Kevin Gordon: Although Rediffusion was initially rejected by the Council in 1951 following complaints by radio shops, the decision was overturned a few weeks later.

Water Cart c1900. Photograph taken in Paradise Drive, Eastbourne.

One of the town's Water Carts photographed c1900 damping down the dusty road surface in Paradise Drive.  The postcard (from my collection) has a half-penny stamp which dates it to pre-1918 (half-penny postage for postcards increased to one penny after 1918).  The date of the actual photograph is unknown.  The postcard itself is marked ' Valentine's XL Series Real Photo Cards - Printed in Great Britain' and was posted by 'George c/o  Mrs Earle, Mafeking House, 2 Chawbrook Road, Eastbourne.' to 'Miss Hilda Sully, 73 Carlyle Road, Manor Park, London E.'  

From the booklet ‘Street Names of Eastbourne’ by Harold Spears (1973): ‘Chaw Brook was the name for an area including several marshland fields in the Whitley Road area, over which the road was constructed.’  This part of Eastbourne was being developed c1900, and name of the property itself “Mafeking House” was obviously named after the relief of the town of Mafeking, which was a 217-day siege from October 1899 to May 1900 in South Africa during the Second Boer War.  The house today no longer bears that name and is simply marked No 2.

I have superimposed a close-up of the water jets behind the rear wheels that sprayed the water onto the road surface.

The Eastbourne Local History Society Newsletter No 8 of January 1973 contained an article by the late Harold Spears titled ‘Some Notes on Historic Street Furniture’, which included a section on water carts.  The article was included in the 1984 booklet ‘Eastbourne’s Historic Street Furniture – Monuments & Memorials’ under the heading ‘Water Hydrant Posts.’  In the article Harold explained that the water hydrants (not to be confused with fire hydrants) were originally fitted with a 'swan neck' pipe on the top that was used to fill the water tanks on the town’s water carts.  The water carts would then spray the roads in the town to keep the dust down in the pre tarmacked road era.  

Date of picture unknown, but Water Hydrant is c1890. Location: Ocklynge Road, Eastbourne. what3words (approximate): member.enjoy.bench

This image is from a c1890 - 1900 postcard titled 'Ocklynge Road Old Town Eastbourne,' and shows a Water Hydrant Post with the pipe on top for filling the water carts that were used to damp down the dusty roads.  In the article in the 1984 booklet ‘Eastbourne’s Historic Street Furniture – Monuments & Memorials’ under the heading ‘Water Hydrant Posts' Harold Spears stated that the water hydrants were originally fitted with a 'swan neck' pipe, but the photograph shows that the pipe was in the shape of an inverted 'U' which would make more sense as it would give a greater reach to the water cart than a 'swan neck' design.   Harold also stated the pipes were fitted 'when necessary' to fill the carts, but clearly, as seen in this photograph, the pipes were a permanent fixture (at least in this example) and I suspect were only removed and the post capped off when they fell into disuse.  Just two minor points, but I felt they needed clarification. Unfortunately, this hydrant is no longer in-situ.

EHL78. Ham Baker & Co. c1890. Location: Gildredge Road adjacent to the junction with Station Street, Eastbourne. what3words: bowls.error.frost

 

This hydrant was removed, but later saved from the scrapyard by Richard Crook of the Eastbourne Society.  It was later reinstalled in its original position.

From the Sussex Heritage Trust website: -

Trustee Richard Crook has been campaigning for over 40 years for the retention of historic street furniture in his home town of Eastbourne. The town was developed in the Victorian period by the 7th Duke of Devonshire and his architect Henry Currey who laid out a grid pattern of streets and a three-tier seafront promenade to create a high-class seaside resort.

No expense was spared, ensuring that the detail was of the highest quality and a rich palate of materials was specified. Red paving bricks were used for the pavements and promenades (very much a Sussex tradition) with Purbeck stone kerbs and cast iron gutter grids made in Lewes by Ebenezer Morris. Morris also cast the ornamental square based iron gas lamp posts which were a unique feature of the town (the square bases housed a gas meter).

The streets were planted with Wheatley Elms to create impressive wide tree-lined boulevards with grass borders. The ash roads were sprayed with water from horse-drawn water carts which were filled from ornamental cast iron hydrants placed at convenient locations. All these features have been gradually disappearing over the years and Richard and the local Conservation Officer have been negotiating with East Sussex County Council (who are responsible for the streets) to retain these interesting features which add so much to the character of the town.

Only four water hydrants are left in the town (there were eleven in the mid-70s) and recently, one was inadvertently removed by ESCC as part of their town centre improvement works. The local History Society spotted this and Richard negotiated its safe reinstatement as shown in the photograph. Unfortunately, Local Authorities are not required to retain this type of heritage under Conservation Area legislation and it is important therefore that people are vigilant in other parts of Sussex and strike up relationships with the officers involved to ensure that historic street furniture is retained for future generations to enjoy.

The refurbishment and redecoration of the post was carried out at no cost by Sussex Blast Cleaning of Hailsham as part of the community effort to reinstate it.

In 2023 a new survey of the water posts was conducted by Kim Adams.

EHL23. Ham Baker & Co. c1890. Location: St. John's Road at the junction with Mount Road, Eastbourne. what3words: vibes.trades.outfit

Ham Baker & Co Engineers Westminster.

Condition: Good. Has been repainted by Bob Cookson since I took this photograph in July 2023.

The Eastbourne Local History Society Newsletter No 8 of January 1973 contained an article by the late Harold Spears titled ‘Some Notes on Historic Street Furniture’, which included a section on water carts.  The article was included in the 1984 booklet ‘Eastbourne’s Historic Street Furniture – Monuments & Memorials’ under the heading ‘Water Hydrant Posts.’  In the article Harold explained that the water hydrants (not to be confused with fire hydrants) were originally fitted with a swan neck pipe on the top that was used to fill the water tanks on the town’s water carts.  The water carts would then spray the roads in the town to keep the dust down in the pre tarmacked road era.  Harold states in the 1984 booklet that there were still eight in existence at that time in the following locations, Gildredge Road, Ashford Road, Granville Road, Vicarage Road, Gaudick Road, Grassington Road, St, John’s Road, Seaside (near the Archery Tavern).  He went on to explain he had contacted the authorities some years before due to the fact that the posts were very rusty, and subsequently they were painted a ‘biscuit’ colour, but had since been painted bright green in 1983.  In Autumn 2014, an article by Frank Woods titled ‘Street Furniture update’ appeared in the Eastbourne Local Historian No 173 (as the Newsletter is now called) that explained there were now only four of the water posts left.  These are located in Gildredge Road (corner of Station Street), Granville Road (corner of Blackwater Road), Grassington Road (corner of Furness Road), and St. John’s Road (opposite the Hydro Hotel).  In 2023 a new survey of the water posts was conducted by Kim Adams as part of a larger study led by Kevin Gordon of all of Eastbourne’s historic features.

Information from Grace’s Guide: -
1884 Formation of a partnership between Frederick Ham, William Baker, and Claude Sansom in London.
1893 Company founded by Frederic George Sison Ham, maker of gas street lamps.
1905 Sewage and water fittings.
1912 Resolution to wind the company up. 
1922 Sanitary and Hydraulic Engineers, Langley Green, Birmingham.
1926 Foundries and engineering works at Langley, Birmingham.
1982 Ham Baker & Co Ltd took the leading role in the marketing and selling of the Eurovalve product range on behalf of Eurovalve Ltd. 

Information from the Langley Local History Society Facebook page: -

Ham Baker & Co was established in Grosvenor Rd., Westminster, London in 1893.  Shortly afterwards they moved to a site next to the Titford canal (Birmingham), close to the coal mines of Langley and Rowley.  They set up their 'Municipal Engineering Company Works' at the end of Clay Lane.  They were general engineers and iron & brass founders, but specialised in articles used by local authorities including sewage disposal, water distribution & irrigation equipment, waterways, docks & later, power stations & oil supply equipment.  The works consisted of pattern shops, and brass and iron foundries capable of castings up to ten tons, as well as fitting and erection shops, all linked through rail tracks.  Their 1905 catalogue showed a wide range from small items such as valves, manhole covers and drains, to huge sluice gates (penstocks).  In later years they supplied oil depots & power stations, including the then Calder Hall Nuclear Power Station.  Items were shipped worldwide, many starting their journey from the goods yard of Langley Green station, and the company had agencies across the globe.  Local requirements were also met and much of the equipment at the Oldbury Sewage Works was supplied by them.  The company was bought out by Biwater Industries Ltd.  The original site is now a housing estate. 

The following is the full unedited version of the article that I wrote for the forthcoming ELHS (Eastbourne Local History Society) booklet ‘Eastbourne’s Historic Street Furniture.’

Historical Background

The Post Office was established as a legal entity in 1660, although a public postal service had been in operation since 1635.  The Postal Museum website informs us, in part, that before 1840 the postal system was expensive and complex as there were a number of local systems with different charges.  Letters were also charged by distance and the number of sheets of paper they contained, and normally the charge was paid by the recipient rather than the sender.  Rowland Hill’s postal reforms led in 1840 to the Uniform Penny Post which opened up the postal system to almost every person in Britain.  Postage rates were now based on weight, not distance (for inland mail) and were paid for by the sender.  The sender could use the newly introduced stamped stationery or the adhesive postage labels.  The labels rapidly became the popular choice and soon became known as postage stamps, a name used to this day.  Prior to the introduction of the letter box, senders would have to take their letter in person to a Receiving House (effectively an early Post Office), or would have to await the Bellman.  The Bellman wore a uniform and walked the streets collecting letters from the public, while ringing a bell to attract attention.  

Locally, the 1972 publication ‘A Postal History of Eastbourne 1750 to 1972’ by Mrs. I.M. Sharpin and Mr Charles F. Williams informs us that the first record of a ‘Post Office’ was in Ocklynge Road in 1806.  In the section headed ‘Postmasters’ it tells us that according to G.P.O. Headquarters Records Office, a certain Mr Thomas How took office as Postmaster in 1806, but there was a Deputy carrying out the business of the Post Office 25 years before, i.e., c1780, and ‘Unfortunately, the lady’s name is not quoted and her identity cannot be traced…’ and ‘when Mr Cook became Postmaster in 1831 he eventually obtained premises in Terminus Road (sea end) and the office in Ocklynge became the Old Town Office, with Receiving Houses in Southbourne (South Street area) and Sea Houses (Marine Parade area).’ 

Information supplied by The Letter Box Study Group for the rest of this article includes manufacturing date ranges, designations, and letter box sizes: -
Pillar Box Type A – Large, Type B – Small, Type C – Double Aperture (post slot)
Wall Box Type A – Large, Type B – Medium, Type C – Small.
 
The Introduction of Letter Boxes
  The Postal Museum states that Anthony Trollope, now more famed as a novelist, was working as a Surveyor’s Clerk for the Post Office in the 1850’s.  Part of his duties involved him travelling to Europe where it is probable that he saw road-side letter boxes in use in France and Belgium.  He proposed the introduction of such boxes to Britain, and a trial on the Channel Islands was approved.  Four cast-iron pillar type letter boxes were installed on Jersey in 1852, and in 1853 the trial was extended to Guernsey.  The trials were considered a success and letter boxes appeared in the rest of the UK from 1853 onwards, the first being in Carlisle.  The early mainland boxes were usually hexagonal following the Channel Island design, but from 1855 square or round-fluted boxes started to appear.  The Postal Museum website also informs us that by 1859 the Post Office realised that having so many different designs of letter boxes across the country was proving expensive, therefore they issued instructions that a new ‘First National Standard’ box was to be introduced.
 

Picture 1 (cropped) by Mike Quinn is from the Geograph.org.uk website.  The author has allowed free usage under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence.  It shows the only remaining example of a First National Standard (large type) pillar letter box still in use, which is in Montpelier Road at the junction with Western Road in Brighton.  Note the pattern on the cap and the position of the aperture (letter slot) directly under the cap.  This type is designated PB4/i, and they were manufactured by Cochrane & Co.   
The instruction to only produce the First National Standard design was not always adhered to, so in 1866 the Post Office introduced another standard box designed by John Wornham Penfold.  Note the early design of the VR cypher on the front of the box and compare it with the later design as seen on the VR boxes in Eastbourne.  In 1879 a further standard design was produced (the so called ‘Anonymous' boxes) that at last resembled the pillar type boxes that we are familiar with today. 
 
Picture 2 from the Wikiwand.com website shows a Penfold box in the early green livery on the High Street, Rochester, Kent in 2007.  It was moved from The Paddock, Military Road, Chatham in 1970.  The image is licenced for the Public Domain.

 
An interesting snippet from the Postal Museum article explains that the earliest boxes on Jersey were red, but the standard colour was changed to green in 1859.  However, the green painted boxes were difficult to spot, and following complaints, a return to red was specified in 1874, although it took 10 years to complete the programme of re-painting UK wide.  

Eastbourne’s Letter Boxes

The earliest mention of an Eastbourne letter box survey in the ELHS Newsletter was by Harold Spears in January 1973 where he stated ‘’A recent count showed that there are still 25 posting boxes in Eastbourne which bear the V.R. monogram of Queen Victoria.’’  It is assumed he got this figure from ‘A Postal History of Eastbourne 1750 to 1972,’ as on page 20 it states ‘There are over 320 Pillar and Wall collecting boxes in the Eastbourne Postal area, some 25 of which are the old Queen Victoria type, about 70 of George V and George VI types, and 27 of the present Queen, that is to say bearing the respective Royal Monograms.’  Strangely, there is no mention of the Edward VII boxes.

Michael Ockenden’s detailed March 1981 article (Journal No 39) ‘Victorian and Edwardian Pillar Boxes in Eastbourne’ includes the results of a survey carried out in 1979 on six Anonymous pillar boxes (these boxes do not have the words ‘Post Office’ or a VR Royal cypher) that were located in Wilmington Square, Grange Road (Jevington Gardens), The Avenue, Royal Parade, Stanley Road (not listed in Gowland's 1900 Directory), and Selwyn Road on the corner with Watts Lane, plus eighteen pillar boxes with the VR cypher, one wall box with the VR cypher, and five pillar boxes with the Edward VII cypher.  

 Another detailed article, this time by Peter Tyrrell in Journal No 162 (Winter 2011), titled ‘Anonymous Post Boxes’, mentions that one of these boxes in the Seaside Recreation Ground area, that used to stand at the junction of Stanley Road with Clarence Road, was replaced with a ‘pedestal type box’ when the Post Office at this location closed.  The replacement is a small ‘modern’ ERII (Elizabeth II) box on a post.  The article also mentions that an Anonymous box that stood in Royal Parade until at least 1993 had been removed.  Confirmation that this particular box was located near the junction with St. Aubyn’s Road comes from Ordnance Survey map ‘Sussex (East) Sheet LXXX.10.’ which was surveyed in 1875, revised in 1898, and the second edition published in 1899.  This shows that the box was positioned outside the current Majestic Hotel.  This box was removed when the VR pillar letter box at the Seaside/Langney Road junction was moved to the junction of Seaside/St. Aubyns Road, as there would be no need for two letter boxes so close together.  The article is also interesting for the fact that it goes into some detail about the manufacturer Andrew Handyside of Derby who produced all the remaining Victorian pillar boxes located in Eastbourne and several of the Edward VII era. 

The 2023 survey confirms there are now only four Anonymous pillar letter boxes, but still eighteen with the VR cypher, plus the VR wall box.  The conclusion is that the original number of Victorian boxes listed in 1972 must have included both Anonymous boxes and those with cyphers despite the mention of ‘…bearing the respective Royal Monograms’ (1972), or ‘…which bear the V.R. monogram of Queen Victoria’ (1973), otherwise it would mean that six pillar boxes with a VR cypher had disappeared between 1972 and 1979, and a study of the relevant maps (1876-1900) confirmed this not to be the case, as can be seen in the list at the end of this section on Victorian boxes.  Also, the reason that there are many more Victorian era letter boxes as opposed to Edwardian, is the length of Victoria’s reign (1837-1901), which encompassed nearly 50 years of letter box distribution compared to just over 9 years for King Edward VII (1901-1910).

The earliest letter boxes still in existence in Eastbourne are the two ‘Anonymous - high aperture’ pillar boxes that were manufactured from 1879 to 1883.  These boxes are situated in Jevington Gardens at junction with Grange Road (The OS maps from 1898 to at least 1938 show this box on the opposite side of Grange Road), and King Edward's Parade at Wilmington Square outside the Citrus Hotel (Picture 3).  They are the smaller capacity Type B (48” circumference) design, with a 6” wide aperture and are designated PB11/i by The Letter Box Study Group.  There are also two slightly later (1883-1887) ‘Anonymous - low aperture’ boxes located in Selwyn Road at junction with Watts Lane, and The Avenue at junction with St. Anne's Road.  These are also Type B, but have a 7” wide aperture, and are designated PB13.  Michael Ockenden’s 1981 article states that the Stanley Road (not recorded on Gowland's Directories Victorian letter boxes lists), and Royal Parade boxes were also of this design, and explains that the high aperture design had a problem whereby letters could get lodged at the top of the box.  This was rectified by moving the aperture lower down, hence they become known as the ‘low aperture’ design.

There has always been an assumption that the missing words and cypher of the Anonymous boxes was a mistake by the manufacturer Andrew Handyside, but in another article by Peter Tyrrell in Journal No 165 (Autumn 2012) he informs us that after a friends visit to the Post Office storage facility in Debden, Essex, his friend told him that “…apparently, the anonymous boxes were a mistake by Royal Mail and not the manufacturer, Andrew Handyside Ltd.  It took Royal Mail eight years to admit the mistake.”

Following on date-wise from the Anonymous boxes is the VR wall box (Picture 4) located in Old Town where the High Street meets The Goffs, opposite the junction with Moatcroft Road.  This Type C design was produced by W. T. Allen & Co London and is designated WB87/i.  The building is currently a Pizza Stop outlet, but the 1899 Kelly’s Sussex Directory shows it was an off-licence at that time.  Under ‘Ale & Porter Merchants & Agents’ it states ‘Hurst A. & Co.  1 High Street, Old Town, Eastbourne.’  Today, above the main entrance in ghost writing, can still be seen the original signage ‘Hurst & Co.’ 

Some previous articles state that this is, or probably is, the oldest surviving letter box in Eastbourne.  After measuring the box (28” high x 10.5” wide, with a 6” x 1” aperture) and referring to The Letter Box Study Group information sheet, its time span of manufacture can be accurately dated to 1882-1885, which is slightly later than the Anonymous high aperture pillar boxes, but it may have been installed before them as the dates overlap slightly and the locations of the Anonymous boxes in Jevington Gardens and King Edward's Parade were undeveloped according to the Ordnance Survey map published in 1879 (surveyed 1875-1876).  The map can be found on the National Library of Scotland website as ‘Sussex Sheet LXXX.’

 

Following date-wise again is the VR pillar box located at the junction of Grand Parade and Trinity Place (Picture 5).  This box is a Type A large capacity 62” circumference design, manufactured from 1887 to 1892 by Handyside.  It does not have a weather strip on the door (to keep the rain out), and the aperture measures 7” x 1.5”.  It is designated PB14/i.  This is the only box of this particular design in Eastbourne, although other pillar boxes from the same date range are its smaller Type B (48” circumference) companions, which are designated PB15/i.  There are four of these in the following locations: Carlisle Road at junction with Gaudick Road, Granville Road at the junction with Silverdale Road, Seaside at the junction with St. Aubyn’s Road, and South Street at the junction with Cornfield Lane near the War Memorial.  Again, manufactured by Handyside without weather strips, and with a 7” x 1.5” aperture.  

From 1892-1900 a weather strip was added to the door.  There are two Type A’s of this design (still with the 7” x 1.5” aperture), in Carlisle Road opposite the Heritage Centre, and South Cliff at the junction with South Cliff Avenue.  This type is designated PB14/ii. 
 

From the same date range, there are nine of the smaller capacity Type B’s with this new addition.  These are designated PB15/ii and are located at: Upper Carlisle Road junction with Carlisle Road, King Edward's Parade at the exit from Chatsworth Gardens near the junction with Bolsover Road, 9-11 Compton Street near the junction with Devonshire Place, Summerdown Road near the junction with Church Street, Chesterfield Road at the junction with Darley Road (Picture 6), Lewes Road near the junction with Enys Road, Mill Gap Road at the junction with St. Anne’s Road, De Roos Road at junction with Ratton and Mill Roads, and Redoubt Road at the junction with Rylstone Road.  Note the change of design of the VR cypher compared to the Penfold boxes.
 
In 1900 a larger aperture was introduced measuring 8” wide x 2” deep.  There are two Type B’s with this feature, one is located in Firle Road at the junction with Cavendish Avenue (outside the Mace store), and the other is in Green Street at the junction with Salehurst Road.  This Type B design is designated PB15/iii. 
The Green Street box appears to be heavily corroded under the paintwork at the base, and the underside of the cap is rusted through in places.

Apart from the two Anonymous boxes already mentioned that were removed from Stanley Road and Royal Parade, there were many more Victorian letter boxes in existence up to the mid to late 1930’s that were either replaced with later types, or were permanently removed.  It was possible to plot the majority of these by studying Ordnance Survey maps published from 1876 through to 1947, including maps ‘Sussex Sheet LXXX.10.’ which was surveyed in 1874 and published in 1876, Ordnance Survey map ‘Sussex (East) Sheet LXXX.10.’ which was surveyed in 1875, revised in 1898, and the second edition published in 1899, and ‘Sussex (East) Sheet LXXX. S.W.’ which was surveyed from 1873 to 1875, revised in 1898, and published in 1900.  Other later maps in the series were used to determine roughly when boxes were removed.  (see ‘Map Images – National Library of Scotland’ online).  The 1876 map shows pillar boxes as ‘P.L.B.’ or ‘P.L.Box’, and wall boxes as ‘L.Box’, but the later maps only list the Victorian boxes as ‘L.B.’ (Letter Box) and do not distinguish between the different types, although the 1899 map shows pillar boxes as clearly positioned on the pavement. 

Generally, it is not possible to put an exact date on when the Victorian boxes were replaced or removed, or a reason why, but the Postal Museum states ‘Problems were encountered with some of the early designs however and modifications were made, such as the inclusion of downward-pointing shoots to help prevent letters being caught up in the cap of the box.  The Penfold letter box while not particularly a success operationally was very popular with many people.  As a standard box however, it was not to survive.  In 1879 a further standard box was produced. This time more of the earlier lessons were taken on board.’  The 1879 box was the first of the Anonymous types.

Picture 7 shows a Smith & Hawkes pillar box that was manufactured from 1856 to 1857 (see Cornfield Road for the first reference to its possible use in Eastbourne).  The author, Elliott Brown, has allowed free usage of the image under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence.  The box (designated PB1/viii) was photographed in Westgate, Warwick, in 2015.  

The following is a list of locations of Victorian letter boxes that appeared on either the 1876, 1899, or 1900 maps where the boxes were removed and not replaced: -

Cavendish Place at the junction with Tideswell Road. The 1899 map shows a pillar box in this location.  Also shown on maps up to 1938.  Possibly lost to heavy WW2 bomb damage in this area.

Cornfield Road at the junction with South Street (today’s Memorial Roundabout/Trinity Trees).  The 1876 map shows a ‘P.L.Box’ (Pillar Letter Box) in this location which would have been either a First National Standard (1859-1866) or a Penfold (1866-1879), or possibly the earlier 1856-1857 fluted designs by Smith & Hawkes.  Does not appear on maps from 1899 onwards.

King Edward’s Parade at the junction with Silverdale Road.  Although this pillar box does not appear on any of the OS maps that were studied, it does appear in a photograph of the area dated 1880-1890, but had disappeared from photographs from 1936 onwards.

Langney Farm. Current address approx 41 Langney Rise.  This is likely to have been a Lamp Box mounted on a lamppost, telegraph pole, or a purpose made pedestal.

Meads Road near the junction with St. John’s Road.  Appears on a map dated 1899, and a photograph shows the pillar box in-situ c1900.

Railway Station on the side facing the Beacon Centre.  The 1899 map shows a ‘L.B’ (Letter Box) in this location.  Does not appear on the 1910 map.  Probably a wall box.  

Royal Parade – as previously discussed.

Seaside outside St. Andrew’s Church.  A 1900 map shows a Victorian 'L.B' (Letter Box) in this location, which disappeared from later maps.  A 1927 map then shows a replacement pillar box on the nearby corner with Winchelsea Road, but this disappeared sometime after 1952.

Seaside outside Christ Church.  Shown on the 1876 map as a wall box, and on the 1899 map, but does not appear on the 1900 map.  Current box is a GR pillar box approx 12 metres from the original wall box location.

Seaside at the junction with Marine Drove (now Langney Road).  As previously stated, the VR pillar box was moved to Seaside/St. Aubyn’s Road, but the 1876 map shows an older pillar box in this location which would have been either a First National Standard, a Penfold, or the fluted Smith & Hawkes type.

Seaside at the junction with Marine Parade Road.  Now Bourneside Court flats.  The 1876 map shows a wall box in this location.  Does not appear on the 1899 map.

Seaside at the junction with Colonnade Road.  This pillar box appears on the maps of 1899, 1910, 1925, and 1933 as a ‘L.B’ (Letter Box). Does not appear on the 1947 map.  There is a now a modern 1980’s pillar box on the opposite corner.

Seaside Road at the junction with Terminus Road and Victoria Place. This pillar box appears on the maps of 1899, 1910, 1925, and 1933 as a ‘L.B’ (Letter Box). Does not appear on the 1947 map.

South Street near the Town Hall.  The 1876 map shows a pillar box in this location on the pavement at the rear of today’s Bibendum Public House.  It can be precisely dated, as on page 8 of ‘A Postal History of Eastbourne 1750 to 1972’ it states ‘Southbourne Receiving House was closed in October 1864 and a pillar-box substituted.’  (Southbourne was situated around the present-day South Street area). The new box would have been a First National Standard type, which would have been painted the official colour of green specified at that time.  Does not appear on the 1899 map.

Sutton Road (now under the Beacon Centre). The 1899 and 1910 maps show a ‘L.B’ (Letter Box) in this location. Does not appear on the 1925 map.  Unclear whether this was a pillar or wall box.                                             

Terminus Road at the junction with Mark Lane and Cornfield Road.  This pillar box appears on the maps of 1899, 1910, 1925, and 1933 as a ‘L.B’ (Letter Box). Does not appear on the 1947 map.

Upperton Road at the junction with Ocklynge Road.  The 1900 map shows a 'L.B' (Letter Box) in this location.  It is presumed the VR pillar or wall box (unclear which) was removed when the corner was widened and the current ERVII PB was then installed on the opposite corner at end of Ocklynge Avenue.  An excellent photograph on the Heritage Eastbourne website page ‘Motoring Around Town’ shows the ERVII PB in its original position on the edge of the pavement with the front of the box facing down the road towards the town centre.  It was later moved to its present location just a few feet away.

Upperton Road near the junction with The Goffs.  The 1900 map shows a 'L.B' (Letter Box) in this location.  Does not appear on the 1938 map.  It is unclear whether this was a pillar or wall box.

The following is a list of locations of Victorian letter boxes that appeared on either the 1876, 1899, or 1900 maps that were replaced with later types, including in brackets what period and type of box is currently in place.

Abbreviations: GR: George V, ERII: Elizabeth II, PB: Pillar Box, WB: Wall Box.

Beamsley Road at the junction with Seaside (ERII PB).

Blackwater Road at the junction with Meads Road (ERII PB).

Borough Lane at the junction with Love Lane (Vicarage Road), now Borough Lane at the junction with Park Close (ERII WB).

Cavendish Place at the junction with Grand Parade (GR PB). 

Carew Road at the junction with Hartfield Road (ERII PB).

Carew Road at the junction with Arundel Road (ERII PB).

Carlisle Road at the junction with Grassington Road (The VR PB was replaced by the current GR WB on the opposite corner between 1925-1932).

Compton Street at the rear of the Grand Hotel.  The 1900 map shows a Victorian 'L.B' (Letter Box) in this location.  The current pillar box is ERII, which itself replaced an earlier GR Type D pillar box with attached stamp vending machine (designated PB29) – see Michael Ockenden’s 1981 article.

Cornfield Terrace at the junction with Blackwater Road (ERII PB).

Enys Road at the junction with St. Anne’s Road.  This pillar box appears on the maps of 1899, 1900, and 1910. Between 1910 & 1925 it is removed and replaced by a GR wall box on the other side of the road adjacent to No 6 on the boundary pillar of the former vicarage of St. Anne's Church (the church in Upperton Gardens was bombed and set on fire in August 1942 and replaced with housing in the 1950’s).  The GR box was replaced at some point by the current ERII wall box.

Furness Road at the junction with College Road (GR PB).

Grange Road at the junction with Blackwater Road (ERII PB).

Stanley Road (ERII Lamp Box as previously discussed).

St. John’s Road outside St. John’s Church (ERII PB).

Upperton Road opposite Michel Grove (GR WB).

Overall, this means Eastbourne has lost a total of 34 Victorian letter boxes; 18 that were permanently removed, and a further 16 replaced with later types.  This leaves us with just 24 original Victorian boxes.  The full list will also appear on an interactive ‘Google My Maps’ by Spring/Summer 2024 on one or all of the following websites:  ELHS, Eastbourne Society, Heritage Eastbourne.  A similar map for the GR(V) and GRVI letter boxes will appear at a later date. 

After the death of Queen Victoria, her eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, became King Edward VII.  There is a total of five ERVII pillar boxes in Eastbourne, all of which are Type B (48” circumference) with 8” x 2” apertures.  The three oldest date from 1901-1904 and were manufactured by Handyside.  The first is located in Holywell Road at junction with Duke's Drive.  Picture 8 shows a close-up of the ornate Royal cypher.  This box has a sub-Type b Handyside signature which is 8” wide, and the box is designated PB18/ii.  The other two boxes have sub-Type c Handyside signatures which are 11” wide and these boxes are designated PB18/iii.  One is located mid-way along Arlington Road, and the other in Royal Parade (Carlton Road/Royal Parade corner that joins Royal Parade proper).  The remaining two ERVII pillar boxes, that date from 1904-1910, are in Susans Road near the junction with Ashford Road, and Ocklynge Avenue at the junction of Willingdon Road and Selwyn Road.  These two were manufactured by McDowall Steven & Co Ltd of London & Glasgow, and are designated PB20.  

There are also two known ERVII wall boxes in Eastbourne, one of which (Picture 9) is in Saffrons Road.  This Type B box (33” high x 14” wide) dates from 1901-1904 and was manufactured by W. T. Allen & Co London.  It has an 8” x 2” aperture and a plain ERVII cypher (no serifs on VII) and is designated WB89/iii.

The second box is at the junction of Meads Road and Grassington Road.  It is a Type C box (28" high x 10.75" wide, with a 6” x 1.25” aperture) manufactured by W. T. Allen, with a new Crown design, serifs on VII (difficult to see under the multiple paint layers), and the collection plate slightly to left of centre. It is designated WB94 and was manufactured from 1904 to 1910.

After the death of Edward VII in 1910, the next in line to the throne was George Frederick Ernest Albert.  Born 1865, he was the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra).  Their first-born son in 1864 was Prince Albert Victor, who would have succeeded the throne, but died in 1892 aged 28 during a recurrence of the 1889-1890 viral pandemic.  Therefore, George became King George V and reigned from 1910 to 1936.  His letter boxes have a simple GR Royal cypher.  There are many GR boxes in Eastbourne (pillar and wall types), but two worth noting are located at Eastbourne Station and Willingdon Road.  

The wall box at the station (Picture 10) is the only Type A in Eastbourne.  This is the largest size at 3’ 11” high x 1’ 8” wide.  Manufactured from somewhere in the early 1930’s up to 1936 by McDowall Steven & Co Ltd Falkirk, it is designated WB102/iii due to the 4” high crown, as opposed to WB102/ii which has a 5” high crown.

The second GR box of note is located the near the Hurst Arms on the raised section of pavement opposite the entrance to Ocklynge Cemetery.  This pillar box still has its enamel sign (Picture 11) indicating that it used to have a stamp vending machine attached.  This is a Type B by McDowall Steven London & Glasgow.  Dating from 1911-1922 it is designated PB26/i as it has a high cypher (the gap between the Crown and GR).  There are at least another two with the enamel stamp sign, these are in Cavendish Place at the junction with Grand Parade, and Furness Road at the junction with College Road.

Michael Ockenden’s 1981 article mentions the fact that there was a rare Type D pillar box in Compton Street behind the Grand Hotel ‘…until a few years ago.’  The Postal Museum states: ‘During the reign of George V a number of experimental boxes combining different functions were produced.  Combination pillar boxes type D and E incorporated a stamp vending machine on one side.  The vending machines were set to dispense two halfpenny stamps in exchange for one old penny.  The stamps were supplied in a long, continuously wound roll.  Expensive to produce, seventy-five type D and fifty smaller type E combination pillar boxes were made.  Due to constant jamming the stamp vending machines were soon taken out of use.’  The Letter Box Study Group dates the Type D (large) from 1931-1933, and designates it PB29.

After the death of King George V in 1936, he was succeeded by King Edward VIII whose short reign lasted from 20th January 1936 to 11th December 1936 before he abdicated.  Consequently, according to The Letter Box Study Group, there are only 171 surviving letter boxes with his ERVIII cypher in the UK, none of which were installed in Eastbourne.  Michael Ockenden’s 1981 article states the nearest is in Warmdene Road, Patcham, in the northern suburbs of Brighton.  Edward was succeeded by his younger brother (by a year), Albert Frederick Arthur George, who became King George VI and reigned from 1936 to 1952.  An example of a pillar box from this period can be found in Trinity Trees, next to the bus stop outside the British Heart Foundation shop (Picture 12).  This has an 8” x 2” aperture, and is 62” in circumference (Type A), and was manufactured from 1937 to 1952 by McDowall Steven.  It is designated PB34.  There is also a nice example of a GRVI wall box at 51 Meads Road.  This is a Type B (33” high x 14” wide, 8” x 2” aperture) manufactured by W. T. Allen & Co London from 1937 to 1952, and is designated WB110.   

King George VI passed away on February 6th 1952 to be succeeded by his eldest daughter Elizabeth.  Queen Elizabeth II reigned from 1952 to until her death on September 8th 2022.  An early ERII wall box can be found in Enys Road adjacent to No 6 (Picture 13).  Its measurements show it is a Type B (medium), manufactured by W. T. Allen & Co Ltd London c1955.  It is designated WB115/ii by The Letter Box Study Group. 

It will be interesting to see when the first King Charles III letter box is installed in Eastbourne.  According to The Letter box Study Group: ‘Royal Mail will use up their existing stock of Elizabeth II boxes before starting on Charles III’s.  The newest post-boxes are made of stainless steel and only need a small part to be redesigned before being bolted on to the box, so it should not take long to start production.’  

Update: The first UK mainland pillar letter box bearing the new Charles III cypher was installed in the High Street in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire on July 12th 2024.  

As to the future of existing letter boxes; the Joint Policy Statement by Royal Mail and Historic England, in consultation with The Letter box Study Group and The Postal Museum, states in part: ‘Royal Mail has renewed its policy, which Historic England supports, for the retention of all letter boxes in operational service at their existing locations, unless certain exceptional circumstances or operational need necessitates their relocation or removal.’  

Some facts and figures from ‘A Postal History of Eastbourne 1750 to 1972’, page 11: ‘…in 1953, a weekly average of 405,000 letters, printed papers and newspapers were delivered in the Eastbourne Postal District…now, in 1971/72, the figures are 343,384 letters, 35,280 parcels weekly in the Town area alone…the number of letters going from Eastbourne is 352,635 per week.’  It would be interesting to know what the figures are today 50 years on?

If anyone wonders how it was possible for Royal Mail to deliver letters or postcards by the next day in the late Victorian and early Edwardian era (information dated 1900 to 1903), it is worth noting that in Eastbourne at least, each pillar or wall letter box was emptied seven times a day Monday to Saturday from approximately 9am in the morning to 11pm at night!  Even on Sunday's they were emptied twice in the evening at approximately 6pm and 11pm (increased from once in 1898).  As for deliveries; in 1898 there were five a day for letters and parcels at 7am, 10am, 1.30pm, 4.45pm, and 7pm.

Manufacturers mentioned in this article: -

Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd Derby (also Derby & London).

Carron Co Falkirk.

Cochrane Grove & Co, Dudley (Penfold 1st and 2nd type boxes 1866-1879).

Cochrane & Co, Woodside Works, Dudley (First National Standard boxes 1859-1866, and Penfold 3rd and 4th type boxes 1872-1879).

McDowall Steven & Co Ltd Glasgow (also London & Glasgow, or Falkirk).

Smith & Hawkes, Eagle Foundry, Broad Street, Birmingham.

W.T. Allen & Co London.

All photographs in this article were taken by the author unless attributed otherwise.

Sources: -

The Postal Museum website.

The Letter Box Study Group website and Facebook page.

Eastbourne Heritage Centre website.

A Postal History of Eastbourne 1750 to 1972 by Mrs. I.M. Sharpin and Mr Charles F. Williams.

The National Library of Scotland (maps).

Geograph.org.uk website.

A special mention to Nick Miles for informing me about the Hurst & Co ghost writing above the current Pizza Stop in OId Town.

Previous ELHS articles on letter boxes referenced in this article can be found by purchasing the USB Data Stick ‘The Eastbourne Local History Society: The First 50 Years’ from the society.  Other recommended reading available on the USB Data Stick is an article by Lionel D. Jones in Journal No 116, Summer 2000, titled ‘The General Post Office Removes to the New Town’.