Fluted Letter Box In Grounds Of Colesgrove Manor

The Fluted Letter Box in the grounds of Colesgrove Manor is a unique pillar box made between 1855 and 1856 by Smith and Hawkes of Birmingham, designed by the Post Office Architect Mr. Edge. It is constructed from cast iron and painted red. The box features a fluted shaft with a vertical opening and a frieze inscribed with "POST OFFICE." It has a tall domed cap topped by a crown on a tasselled cushion, standing nearly eight feet high. This pillar box is one of only three remaining examples of its kind, as the design was later deemed too expensive. Originally, it was located either at the City end of London Bridge near Fishmongers' Hall or at New Street, Birmingham. It was taken out of service in the 1880s, exhibited in 1890 for the Penny Post Jubilee Celebrations, and later loaned to the curator of the National Postal Museum, who installed it at Colesgrove Manor.