While out this weekend, I happened across some unusual postboxes. I used to go out specifically to find rare postboxes, but I’ve enough to occupy myself these days and have retired that hobby.

The first unusual postbox I found was the below example of a George VI lamp box that would have been cast sometime during the period of his reign, 1936 to 1952. Lamp boxes were mostly used in rural areas as the volume of mail was smaller than in the cities. This design of lamp box was introduced towards the end of the reign of King George V.

George VI lamp box

George VI lamp box

Later in the day, I pulled off the motorway to explore a local village or two and decided to stop when I came across an old looking churchyard that was ripe for exploration. Parking, I spotted the below Ludlow wall box, and of course, had to photograph it.

This box is from the reign of George V and is now out of use. There are around 450 Ludlow boxes still in use in Britain today.

George V Ludlow wall box

George V Ludlow wall box

Excluding the front, Ludlow boxes were mostly made of wood and often bespoke to a particular building, such as a sub-post office. They were named after their manufacturer, James Ludlow and Son, from Birmingham, as the majority that survives are from Ludlow’s. They are distinctive due to their black and white enamel plate.

I carried on with my journey and decided to stop at Woburn Abbey for a little history R & R. Driving through Woburn, I saw the Edward VII Ludlow wall box pictured below.

Edward VII Ludlow wall box

Edward VII Ludlow wall box

Once again I parked up and took a couple of snaps.

The rarest of these boxes is the Edward VIII Ludlow wall box as he was king for only 326 days. Happy hunting!