When we were walking in Cork City, we saw different marks on the postboxes and wondered what they were. In a way, they are probably ghostsigns. They are a record of who ruled Cork (and Ireland) at different times.
The first postboxes that we noticed with the writing were by St Francis and outside Imperial Hotel. These are both called ‘pillar boxes’. The both had King Edward 7th . We learned a bit about Kings and Queens too.
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Anthony Trollope was a novelist. He wrote books for grown-ups so we have not read any.
Before he became a writer, he was Irish Post Office Surveyor from 1841. In 1855, the first five post-boxes were used in Ireland. Before then, you brought to the post office or paid when the letter was delivered. Those first boxes are no longer in use. The oldest box still used is at Kent Railway Station.
It is unusual that the opening is on top. If it was not indoors, the letters might get wet in the rain.
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The other type of boxes that were used were the wall box
Queen Victoria is at Blackrock Road. King Edward is on Old Blackrock Road with Saorstát Éireann.
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The third type are lamp boxes. They have curved tops and are often fixed to timber poles. These ones are in Glanmire which says P & T for Posts and Telegraphs. The other one is in Ballinrostig. It is near Inch beach. It says King Edward.
There are some new types but they do not have the marks like the older ones that are more interesting.
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As part of our project, we traced the GR on the pillar box at St Patrick’s Hill.
We made a mould of the VR on the pillar box at Lover’s Walk (Leper’s Walk). This was a negative so we made it a positive using plaster of paris. You can see both of these as part of our project.
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We think that John Joseph Walsh was the fifth Lord Mayor of Cork in 1920.
In the book, ‘The Irish Post Box, Mr Stephen Ferguson says that J J Walsh was the Postmaster General. The Irish Free State was formed after the end of War of Independence in 1921. Upto then all postboxes were red. J. J. Walsh ordered in 1922 that all postboxes be painted green.
SE is short for Saorstát Éireann and this was also included on the postboxes after that. They were also put on doors of older boxes. In 2016, as part of 1916 centenary celebrations, some post boxes in Dublin were painted red again for a few months.
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We learned of the following dates:
1558 – 1603 – Queen Elizabeth 1st 1837 – 1901 – Queen Victoria 1901 – 1910 – King Edward VII 1910 – 1936 – King George V 1936 – 1952 – King George VI 1952 - Queen Elizabeth 2nd
The post- boxes were introduced when Victoria was queen and when Ireland was part of Great Britain. Her letters and her crown were put on the boxes and can still be seen.
King Edward 7th has the same letter crown as Victoria but everyone after Edward 7th has a different style. Saorstát Éireann was formed in 1922. When we told friends of our parents that we were writing about postboxes, we were told stories about Kings and Queens – not just Victoria, Edward 7th and George 5th.
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Pope John Paul only became Pope John Paul the first when there was a Pope John Paul the second. We were happy that we knew this answer when we were asked.
So Queen Elizabeth from 1558 only became Queen Elizabeth the first in 1952 when the current Elizabeth was made queen. But Queen Elizabeth 1st was queen of England, Wales and Ireland. She was not queen of Scotland – Mary Queen of Scots was in charge of Scotland at the time.
My friend Roisin took a photo of this old postbox which is used in a house in Ventry, Co. Kerry. We learned that this was a postbox from Scotland. It just says ER for Queen Elizabeth. In England, it would say ER II.
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My mum’s friend saw this postbox when she went to The Kilkenny Shop in Shanagarry. She knew about our project and took the photo.
It does say ER II and so is and English box for Queen Elizabeth.
We learned that the box was made after 1977. It was made after Ireland became independent. We don’t know why Queen Elizabth is in Shanagarry – that might be our next project.
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A friend from class said that she saw a yellow postbox in Crosshaven so we went to see it. It is being used as a letter box on a house. It says George 6th who was the father of the current queen. We saw that it has a different type of letters.
As well as postboxes, we saw the name of a king carved into a building. When we showed grown-ups the picture, the did not know that King William 4th was on the courthouse.
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We would love to read what you thought of this chapter and our project.