Lamp boxes
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Lamp boxes are the smallest type of letter box in use and got their name as they were originally attached to lamp posts. There are around 35,000 lamp boxes currently in use in the UK and the BPMA holds twenty-seven in the collection. Displaying examples of three major varieties, the lamp boxes in the collection span the reign of different monarchs from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II. The BPMA holds an example of the oldest and most rare type of lamp box which dates from 1896 and also holds more modern types of lamp boxes.
Unlike pillar boxes, lamp boxes did not change drastically throughout their existence. The collection portrays the small changes that did occur in lamp box design, namely the change of shape, cypher and manufacturer.
Queen Victoria Lamp Box, 1896, accession number: OB1994.1
Lamp boxes like this one were
first trialled in 1896 for residents in fashionable London Squares who
required a nearby posting facility so their letters written late at night could
catch the midnight or early morning collections. Their popularity meant
that they were introduced to the rest of the country a year later.
This lamp box, from 1896, is the oldest and most rare lamp box in the BPMA collection. The word 'LETTERS' above the aperture signifies that it is an early Victorian model. Surviving examples of this type are very rare as soon after the wider introduction of lamp boxes, this was quickly changed to ‘LETTERS ONLY’.
George V Lamp Box, 1935-1937, accession number: OB1994.11
This is an
example of a lamp box from near the end of George V's reign when the
design of lamp boxes
changed considerably. The top of the boxes
became flatter and the collection plate larger. The Royal cypher was moved to
above the aperture and 'LETTERS ONLY' appeared below the aperture.
George VI Lamp Box, 1947-1952, accession number: OB1994.13
This is an
example of a later type of lamp box that was designed in 1940 but did not come
into circulation until 1949 because of the Second World War. It was larger and
lighter than earlier models and made of steel with a cast iron front. The top
also became square and the aperture larger. 'LETTERS ONLY' was now
replaced with 'POST OFFICE'.
The lamp boxes in use today are very similar to this design, except, of course that they have Elizabeth II's cypher and 'ROYAL MAIL' has replaced the words 'POST OFFICE'. They are often now fixed to their own pedestal or built into suitable walls. Lamp boxes nowdays are generally only used in rural areas and areas of few postings.
Scottish Lamp Box, 1974-1976, accession number: OB1994.17
A Scottish
version of the lamp box was also produced, as reflected in other
types of letter boxes and vehicles. This bore the
Scottish crown instead of the 'EIIR' cypher as the Scottish had complained that
the present monarch was only the first Queen Elizabeth of Scotland. One
or two of these types, however have been erected by mistake in England.
