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“ Newspapers and books began to be within the reach of all, but Royal Mail played a key part and the introduction of letterboxes could be likened to the email of its day.

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I HAVE a confession to make (not of a sinful nature!)

For some time I have had a little obsession with Royal Mail post boxes.

This interest was fuelled a number of years ago after I discovered, built in a wall near my local church, a Royal Mail post box dating from Victorian times. The mailbox, embedded in the wall of a home which once served as the manse to the church, has a distinctive ‘VR’.

On the day I noticed this, I researched its meaning online and gained the insight that the post box was one of a small number dating from the 19th century and the reign of Queen Victoria. I have discovered others with ‘GR’ and more commonly, ‘ER’, dating from the reigns of George V and VI and the late Queen Elizabeth.

Discovering that the former manse of my church had opened up communication for local people by agreeing to have a post box in a boundary wall, has meant I cannot pass by a post box without a cursory check. The gold post boxes – repainted to honour gold medallists in the 2012 London Olympics have also been the subject of interest and research when they are encountered.

On a recent visit to Peebles in the Scottish Borders I was delighted to discover another Victorian post box – again embedded in the wall of a former manse, in the middle of the town.

Try as I might I have been unable to learn more. It does not feel like coincidence that two former manses agreed to allow Royal Mail post boxes to be built into boundary walls. The iconic red post boxes were introduced in 1852 after the introduction of the iconic Penny Black stamps.

The Victorian era was the time when mass communication really began to take off. Newspapers and books began to be within the reach of all, but Royal Mail played a key part and the introduction of letterboxes could be likened to the email of its day.

The Church of Scotland clearly played its part in pioneering a communication innovation of its time.

So far I have drawn a blank in learning more – it may have been something left to local ministers to approve or reject. Those who agreed would likely be astounded that the distinctive red pillar boxes would still be here in the 21st century.

It is a legacy of its time and there remains a clear need for its service – and this should not be forgotten as the Church meets in General Assembly later this month.

Lynne McNeil Editor