Edward VIII post box: Quite rare and in a state of disrepair!

Though he reigned for less than a year* before abdicating, Edward VIII, or more accurately, his royal cypher, appeared on perhaps more than 200 post boxes around the UK (The Letter Box Study Group reports 271). That might sound a lot, but these post boxes are relatively rare. Fewer than 170 remain today, accounting for less than 0.2 per cent of all the ~115,000 postboxes in the country. (Not surprisingly, Queen Elizabeth II post boxes are by far the most numerous and I'm guessing Charles III are by far the rarest...)

Though I do enjoy spotting VR post boxes (see my blog post here) simply because they are the oldest, I have to admit I was thrilled when I encountered this 1936 Edward VIII pillar box on the Great North Road near East Finchley. But, gosh, it is in a bit of a sorry state! 

Edward VIII

Edward VIII's crumbling facade


* 326 days from the death of his father on 20 January 1936 to 11 December 1936, the date of abdication. So that's 1.2 days per post box - I reckon that's a fair old rate, which presumably reflects a boom in housebuilding/growth of suburbia.

How many Edward VIII post boxes have you seen, and where? Let us know in the comments!



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