Survey Data
Reg No
40501202
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Post box
In Use As
Post box
Date
1920 - 1940
Coordinates
216443, 411641
Date Recorded
02/12/2008
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Cast-iron wall-mounted post box, erected c. 1930, having 'Post Office' in raised lettering above letter flap and hinged outward opening casement letter door with keyhole. Foundry mark no longer legible. Post box set into section of random rubble boundary wall adjacent to the north of the original main gateway (see 40501097) serving St. Eunan’s College (see 40501090), and to the north-west of the centre of Letterkenny.
Appraisal
This simple post box is an appealing, if subtle feature in the streetscape to the north-west of the centre of Letterkenny. The modest design of the post box is enhanced by the raised lettering, which enlivens the appearance of this otherwise functional object. Its survival and continued use is testament to the quality of its original design and manufacture. It is unusual in that it doesn't have a royal cipher or later Irish insignia (P&T or SE) which, perhaps, suggests that the original door may have been removed. The foundry mark is now illegible though it may have been cast at the Carron Company foundry in Stirlingshire, Scotland, who were responsible for any of the early twentieth century post boxes in Donegal. It may have been moved to its present site from another location close by. Set in a modern section of the boundary wall of St. Eunan’s College (see 40501090), at the north of its original gateway (see 40501097), this well preserved post box is an interesting artefact of social significance and appealing item of street furniture that discreetly contributes to the aesthetical value of the street scene.