Pillar Box Surmounted By Gas Lamp Adjacent To Number 31

This is a pillar box topped with a gas lamp, located next to number 31 on Toad Lane. The pillar box is dated 1866 and was made by Cochrane Glove and Co. The gas lamp, which is of a similar age, was attached later. Both the box and lamp have been moved from their original locations. The pillar box is made of cast iron and has a cylindrical base, featuring the inscription 'COCHRANE GLOVE & Co / WOODSIDE WORKS / DUDLEY 1866'. It does not have a royal cipher and includes annulets and a horizontal slit beneath a hexagonal cap. The gas lamp is bolted on top of the box and has a gadrooned-vase foot, a fluted shaft with a foliated capital, and a hexagonal lantern topped with a turned finial. The pillar box is a particularly rare example, with another noted in H Aaron's book, "Pillar to Post," published in 1982.