Post box, Outside No. 53a Maryville Park, Belfast

A free-standing cast-iron post box erected between 1931 and 1936 on the pavement in Maryville Park, Belfast, in the Malone Conservation Area. The box is of the standard cylindrical design introduced in Britain in 1879 and stands 5 feet high, with a diameter of 21 inches around its fluted cap, 15½ inches around its shaft, and 17 inches around its base.

The post box is painted pillar box red throughout except for the black base. It bears the maker's nameplate 'MCDOWALL STEVEN & CO LTD LONDON & GLASGOW' at its foundation. The box features a shallow, slightly overhanging fluted cap beneath which is the hinged door, hung at the left with a raised cup handle at the right and a keyhole above. At the top of the door is a hooded rectangular aperture for letter insertion, above which is a removable plate holder showing the next collection day with 'NEXT COLLECTION' in raised letters beside it. Below the aperture is a notice plate holder containing collection details and the box number. Below this is the Royal Cipher 'GR' with a raised crown above and 'POST OFFICE' below, indicating the box dates from the reign of King George V (1911–1936). A large demountable steel box, measuring approximately 18 inches by 18 inches by 15 inches, is attached to the side of the post box and canted where it meets the cylinder, with a locked door possibly used for storing excess post during deliveries.

The cylindrical pillar box design was introduced in Britain in 1879 and became one of Britain's most recognisable symbols. Early cylindrical boxes lacked a Royal cipher and were unofficially known as 'anonymous boxes' until 1887, when new boxes began to bear the reigning monarch's cipher. The introduction of pillar boxes transformed Britain's postal network during the 19th century, replacing the system where the chief post office was the sole central point for deposit of correspondence. By the end of the 19th century, such boxes were dotted throughout large urban centres. Post boxes of this era held great social importance as the principal conduit by which people communicated with one another. McDowall Steven & Co, the manufacturer, had roots dating back to the 1820s, assumed its recorded name after 1862, and began manufacturing post boxes around 1912. The box first appears on Ordnance Survey town plans of Belfast in 1938, confirming its erection between 1931 and 1936.