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PILLAR BOXES BY J M BUTT OF GLOUCESTER - Wayne Cox

In 1851, Anthony Trollope, then a Post Office Surveyor’s Clerk in the Southern District of Ireland (but who would later find fame as a novelist), was seconded to assist the Surveyor of the Western District of England in revising the rural posts within his area. As part of this work, in November 1851, Trollope travelled to the island of Jersey. Whilst reorganising the postal services there, one of his proposals was the introduction of pillar boxes to St Helier, which eventually appeared on the streets in November 1852. Further boxes were introduced to St Peter Port, Guernsey the following February.

Due to the success of his work in the Western District, Trollope was invited to do the same in other Districts. By the time Trollope gained promotion, becoming Surveyor of the Northern District of Ireland in 1854, he had covered Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, the six southern counties of Wales, much of Dorset, and part of Oxfordshire.

In 1853, whilst revising the rural posts in the Gloucester District, Trollope recommended the erection of pillar boxes in the city. Due to the success of the experiment in the Channel Islands and the first mainland box, installed at Carlisle earlier in 1853, the Postmaster General gave his approval.

The manufacturing contract was awarded to John Michael Butt, who had an iron foundry in Sweetbriar Street, Kingsholm, Gloucester. An early drawing in the Royal Mail Archive shows the design to be octagonal, four feet six inches high, with a pointed cap, and a 'VR' cipher and crown just above the door. The design also features a vertical aperture with the words 'LETTER' and 'BOX' above and below, and 'POST' and 'OFFICE' to the left and right. Finally, the drawing shows the box set upon a block of granite, two feet square, buried in the ground.

Two boxes were opened to the public in Gloucester during August 1854. The Gloucester Chronicle newspaper of 12^th August 1854 reports the locations as “against the garden wall of the Magdalen Hospital at Wotton” and “Worcester Street”. Unfortunately, neither of these pillar boxes has survived. Further installations in Gloucester must have followed shortly after; however, there is no record of when or where these occurred.

The Western District (from October 1854) and the Southern District (from February 1855) also obtained their first pillar boxes from J M Butt. Production continued until 1857, when the Gloucester and Western Districts (along with the rest of the country) began to use the ‘Economy Ornate’ design. The Southern District had already stopped using Butt pillar boxes in 1856, turning instead to the ‘Fluted’ design pillar box, produced by Smith & Hawkes of Birmingham. The final installations of Butt pillar boxes did not take place until 1859 however, when, due to a shortage in pillar box supply, the company were authorised to supply two pillar boxes for Gloucester from existing stock.

The earliest issued boxes differed from the drawing described above in that the pitch of the roof was lowered. The format of the wording was also changed, now reading ‘POST/OFFICE’ in two lines on both sides of the aperture. Finally, the maker’s name, ‘J M BUTT/ KINGSHOLM/ FOUNDRY/ GLOUCESTER’ across four lines, appeared on the front of the base.

An example of this design is still in existence, forming part of the British Postal Museum & Archive collection. This box was the first to be installed in the Southern District, originally located at Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, though it was later moved to the railway station at Ventnor, from where it was recovered.

Later, the design of pillar boxes manufactured by Butt was changed slightly. The words to the left and right of the aperture reverted to ‘POST’ and ‘OFFICE’ respectively (as on the original drawing), in much larger lettering than before. The maker’s name, now reading 'JOHN M BUTT & C^o/ KINGSHOLM IRON WORKS/ GLOUCESTER' across three lines, was on two identical plates each side of the aperture. Lastly, a recess was placed in the door for the insertion of a notice plate (to display the collection times). Previously, the times of collection would have been painted directly on to the door of the box.

Two of the later design still exist. The first is the one located at Barnes Cross, near Holwell, Dorset, though this would not have been its original site. It is probably the box erected at nearby Sherborne in May 1857; one of the last boxes to be installed, and the only pillar box by Butt still in daily operational use. In addition to the two maker’s name plaques either side of the aperture, this example also features the original style maker’s name on the base. (Unfortunately, this box has subsided badly in recent years, so the base is now completely buried. However, a photograph taken by Letter Box Study Group member Ron Hall in 1977 clearly shows this feature.)

The other pillar box of this type is the one preserved at the Town Museum, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. It previously stood in Haverfordwest High Street, having been installed there in September 1856. It is identical to the one at Barnes Cross, except that no maker's name appears on the base of the box. From the installation date, one would assume the maker's name would have also appeared on the base. However, before recovery to the museum, this item was in a poor state, having been in private hands and used as a gatepost for many years. Before going on display in the museum, it underwent extensive restoration. It is possible therefore that the maker’s name on the base has been ground off or has simply worn away.

Finally, mention should be made of the pillar box which stands outside one of the buildings of the former Royal Naval Hospital at Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon. This box bears a remarkable similarity to the boxes already mentioned, and is widely thought to have been produced by J M Butt. However, the box carries no cipher or other lettering and no maker's name. In addition, the top of the cap is completely flat (it is believed that the box was supplied with the usual pointed cap but it has been removed at some time). It is likely that this particular example was ordered from J M Butt by the Royal Navy as a private posting box, for use by patients at the hospital. As the box was not Post Office property, the manufacturer removed all references to the Post Office, either during or after production.

If you are interested in learning more about letter boxes, why not consider joining the Letter Box Study Group. For further details, please send a self-addressed envelope to: The Secretary, LBSG, 38 Leopold Avenue, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham B20 1ES, or visit www.lbsg.org.