Post Box, Outside 20 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast

Post Box, Outside 20 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast

This Grade A listed pillar post box dates from sometime between 1896 and the beginning of 1901. It is a fine example of Victorian street furniture and represents a surviving instance of a design type that is believed to be extremely rare in Northern Ireland.

The box is a free-standing cast-iron post box of standard cylindrical design, standing 5 feet 0 inches high. It measures 21 inches in diameter around its cap, 15½ inches around its shaft, and 17 inches around its base respectively. The box is painted in pillar box red throughout, except for the base which is black and carries its maker's name 'A HANDYSIDE & CO LD DERBY & LONDON'. Below a shallow oversailing cap with a fluted edge is a hooded rectangular aperture for letter insertion. To the left and right of the aperture are the words 'Post' and 'Office' in bas-relief. Below the aperture is a door, hinged at the left with a raised lock plate at the right. At the top is a notice plate holder containing collection day and time details, with the box number (BT9 235D) shown at the bottom. To the top right of the notice plate holder is a further small removable plate indicating the day of the next collection. Below the notice plate holder is a raised 'VR' cipher in cursive script without a crown above.

The box was erected between 1896 and 1901, as it does not appear on the town plan of 1896 but must have been installed before Queen Victoria's death in early 1901, as evidenced by its VR insignia. It was constructed by A. Handyside & Co. Ltd of Derby and London, a foundry firm established by Andrew Handyside in 1847 and originally based at the Britannia Foundry on Duke Street, Derby.

The cylindrical design was introduced by the Post Office in 1879 as a successor to the hexagonal Penfold boxes, which had been discontinued because their faceted form caused letters to become stuck. Early versions of the 1879 cylindrical design had no royal cipher, but these were added from 1887 onwards along with the words 'POST OFFICE' on either side of the aperture. The design came in two sizes, A and B, with Size A—featuring the 15½ inch diameter shaft—being the more common.

The box stands on the outside edge of the footpath in the Malone Conservation Area and represents an object of considerable socio-historical importance, being the principal conduit for distance communication at the time of its installation. It is a well-preserved example of its type and is valued for its age, rarity, authenticity, and historic importance as a survivor from Queen Victoria's reign.