Survey Data
Reg No
13401337
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Historical, Social, Technical
Original Use
Post box
In Use As
Post box
Date
1910 - 1920
Coordinates
211847, 272770
Date Recorded
25/08/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Wall-mounted cast-iron post box, c. 1915, with ' G.R.' royal cipher and raised crown motif. Raised ‘Post Office’ lettering to letter flap and foundry name to the base (W.T. Allen). Still in use. Set into rubble stone boundary wall of Ballymacormack (Mullaghvorneen) Graveyard, and to the southwest of Longford Town.
Appraisal
An attractive item of street furniture that represents an early surviving artefact of mass-produced cast-iron ware. The modest design of the box is enhanced by the royal cipher (identifying the reign of King George V between 1910 - 1936) and the crown motif, which enliven the appearance of this otherwise functional object. Post boxes with the G.R. insignia are quite rare in Ireland, as they were erected only during a few years before independence. Many pre-independence post boxes were simply painted green and retained their royal insignia but are now becoming an increasingly rare sight and are worthy of retention as historical artifacts. It was cast by W.T. Allen and Company of London (1881 - 1955), who were responsible for many of the British era post boxes in North Leinster.