I always enjoy the start of the ‘new’ Life and Work but was especially interested to read your May editorial. I have a daughter-in-law who now lives in New Zealand but spent much of her early life in Edinburgh and she has noted letter boxes for a number of years.

She assures me that, although scarce, Victorian letter boxes are not rare. She has seen quite a number. When I got to know of her interest I started to check boxes and find that the box I use most frequently, which is in Whitehouse Loan, has a VR Logo. I have checked all of the local boxes and have a few Georges and I think one Edward as well as the majority Elizabeths. My daughter-in-law keeps hoping that one day she will locate an Edward VIII, who of course abdicated after a very short time as King. That remains a blank.

Last summer we hunted for a black and gold version in the vicinity of Carlops and when we found it, it was built into a garden wall and long out of use. Had I read your article, I would most certainly have studied the adjacent house, which, from memory was a pre-WW1 building or maybe between the wars. It was a substantial building and not an ancient rural house. It may well have been a manse. I found it most Interesting to know that the Church at the time may have been involved in providing accommodation for the post boxes.

Thank you for the added interest you have given me.

Stewart Tod (via email)

There is a Letter Box Study Group and a few publications, the simplest of which is Old Letter Boxes by Martin Robinson (my copy is dated 1987, reprinted 1992) by Shire Publications: Shire Album 188 to be specific. ISBN 0-85263-846-9

It is an interesting bit of street furniture, and may become a thing of the past in a few years given changes in postal systems.

Alan Fisher, member of Edinburgh Northwest Kirk