Inside Plymouth’s historic Millfields sits a secret piece of British history. This olive green, octagonal pillar box is not just old it is believed to be one of the oldest surviving mainland post boxes in the country.
Cast in the 1850s, it stands as a rare reminder of a time before British post boxes were standardised, and long before they were painted red.
When pillar boxes were first introduced across Britain, there was no single national design. Different foundries produced boxes in a variety of shapes and styles, with octagonal versions becoming particularly associated with some of the earliest Victorian models.
The original colour may surprise many people too. Early British post boxes were painted in shades of olive or sage green, intended to help them blend into streets and public spaces rather than stand out.
That decision eventually proved impractical, with the boxes often difficult for people to spot. In 1874, the Post Office began introducing the bright red colour now synonymous with British post boxes, although it took years for the change to be rolled out nationwide.
Its survival inside the Millfields is also no accident. Because the site formed part of the secure grounds of the former Royal Naval Hospital Stonehouse, originally built in the 18th century, the area was largely protected from later redevelopment, road widening, and some of the destruction caused elsewhere in Plymouth during the Blitz.
Today, the post box stands as a surviving piece of Victorian street furniture that has witnessed extraordinary change from horse-drawn mail deliveries to the digital age.
Photographs and Video © Wayne Perry / Plymouth Postt