An enduring symbol!
The letter box is one of the most attractive and enduring symbols of the Post Office.
First erected in the larger cities like Dublin and Belfast in the mid-nineteenth century, they were gradually introduced to every corner of the country as the influence and importance of the Post Office grew.
Pillar, wall and lamp boxes, many have given close to a century's service and some, like the ornate Penfold type shown in New Ross (below), were introduced in the 1870s. Visually attractive, the Penfolds gave rise to complaints from people who said that letters got stuck in them.
Clearing letter boxes was obviously no easier in 1862!