Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Wait A Minute Mr. Postman

One of the best things about walking is you see things you would never begin to notice from the car, like this post box in Swinton. It's from the reign of George VI (1936-1952) and is set into the wall of a house in the village (population 224). Interestingly the village boasted a population of closer to a thousand throughout most of the 19th Century and first half of the 20th century.

According to this story on the BBC a George VI post box was 'stolen to order' in Wales because it was worth around £2,000 to an unscrupulous collector. That one was attached to a telegraph pole which makes it easier to steel than the Swinton model.

What's interesting about the Swinton 'Ludlow' post box is that in George's reign a newer design was introduced and this one harks back to the model used more frequently in George V's time (1910-1936). It takes its name from its maker, James Ludlow and Son.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

A first class report, and most interesting. Sad that our village population declines so drastically.

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering how long it will take the USPS's new Star Wars themed mailboxes to all end up swiped and for sale on eBay.

James Higham said...

I love this sort of thing too. In North Yorkshire there are many such "relics" and I adore them.

Richard Havers said...

And there was I thinking all the relics had moved to the Borders!