Post box, Malone Road, opposite Deramore Drive, Belfast

A free-standing cast-iron post box erected on Malone Road opposite Deramore Drive between 1920 and 1931, located within the Malone Conservation Area in Belfast. This is a King George V pillar box of the standard cylindrical design introduced to Britain in 1879, standing 5 feet high with shaft diameter of 15½ inches, cap diameter of 21 inches, and base diameter of 17½ inches.

The post box is painted pillar box red throughout, except for its black base. Below a shallow, overhanging cap with a fluted edge sits the door, hinged on the left with a raised cup handle on the right and keyhole above. Centrally positioned on the door is a hooded rectangular letter aperture. Above the aperture is a removable collection plate holder flanked by raised letters reading 'NEXT COLLECTION'. Below the aperture sits a notice plate holder containing collection times and the box number (BT9 74D). The lower portion of the door bears the 'GR' (George Rex) cipher with a raised crown above and 'POST OFFICE' inscribed below.

The foundry plate at the base records manufacture by 'CARRON COMPANY STIRLINGSHIRE', the prominent Scottish ironworking firm established in Falkirk in 1759. This is a B-type post box, the smaller of the two standard sizes produced.

The pillar box first appears on Ordnance Survey town plans of 1931, establishing its erection date between 1920 and 1931. The design reflects the evolution of British pillar boxes: the Royal cipher distinguishes this box from the earlier 'anonymous' cylindrical boxes introduced without sovereign markings, a design flaw remedied from 1887 onwards when 'VR' ciphers were added. George V post boxes remain among the more numerous surviving examples from their reign period in Belfast. This post box exemplifies the social and practical importance of the postal network as it expanded throughout Britain and Ireland during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, serving as a vital public communications conduit before modern alternatives emerged.