The Early History of the Pillar Box in Jersey

I have just been reading "The Letter Box", which is a history of the Post office Pillar and Wall Boxes by Jean Young Farrugia, published in 1969. Not surprisingly, it has a chapter on the first introduction of the roadside pillar boxes in Jersey which goes into some detail. Here's a few notes on that, gleaned from the book.

It was Rowland Hill's reform with the "penny post" in Britain that brought about a rapid expansion in the number of letters being sent. But letter receiving houses - the fore-runner of today's sub-post office - were few and far between, and members of the public began to suggest the new Continental use of posting boxes at the roadside.
 
But action was only taken after Anthony Trollope who was sent to the Channel Islands in 1851 to make recommendations on how to improve the service. There was certainly need for improvement as the Post History website makes clear:
 
"There had been many complaints from the islanders regarding the delay to their mail and the efficiency of the clerks charged with sorting the mail for delivery on Jersey quickly came under Trollope's scrutiny, he was scathing in his assessment of their work. They were advised that if a great improvement in their work did not take place then they may be discharged. Each of the five letter carriers was receiving 8/- per week for an average walk of between 30 and 40 miles. If the amount of mail delivered was particularly large following the arrival of a packet boat, they could not complete their delivery on the same day and a reply via the same packet was impossible."
 
So part of Trollope's original scheme was re-organisation of factors like sorting and speed of delivery (using horses!) to speed matters up:
 
"Trollope's proposals originally centred on keeping the same number of delivery staff but pre-sorting correspondence at the head office and then despatching it to rural offices where each messenger would collect it. As part of the revision, horses were provided to the five letter carriers, the workforce was increased to eight and the walks sub-divided. Unfortunately this also meant a reduction in their pay to 7/- per week."
 
But in addition, in writing to his superior, George Cresswell, the Surveyor for the Western District of England, about the reorganisation he was implementing in Jersey, Trollope also wrote this report which was to have a far reaching outcome:
 
"There is at present no receiving office in St. Helier, and persons living in the distant parts of the town have to send nearly a mile to the principal office. I believe that a plan has obtained in France of fitting up letter boxes in posts fixed at the road side, and it may perhaps be thought advisable to try the operation of their system in St. Helier - postage stamps are sold in every street, and therefore all that is wanted is a safe receptacle for letters, which shall be cleared on the morning of the despatch of the London Mails, and at such times as may be requisite. Iron posts suited for the purpose may be erected at the corners of streets in such situations as may be desirable, or probably it may be found more serviceable to fix iron letter boxes about 5 feet from the ground, wherever permanently built walls, fit for the purpose, can be found, and I think that the public may safely be invited to use such boxes for depositing their letters."
 
John Tilley of Postal Headquarters in London suggested this would be a "good opportunity to try the system" and Cresswell said that ". no better opportunity of trying the experiment of 'roadside' letter boxes could be selected" Within a month the Postmaster-General had given his consent to the trial of four boxes. Almost at once, Trollope asked for permission to erect three similar boxes in the town of St. Peter Port, Guernsey, and this, also, was agreed to.
 
Farrugia's history supplies some of the background on how the boxes came about:
 
"Seven months later, in July 1852, Creswell informed London that he had `conferred with the Constable of St. Heliers, in whose province such matters properly fall', and that he had put himself `into communication with very intelligent parties as to a good form for this new mode of collecting the correspondence of the public, the result being the enclosed sketch and estimate which appear likely to answer the purpose extremely well. 4 will be required at Jersey and 3 at Guernsey and if the plan should be approved, I would ask authority to give an order for the whole number to Mr. John Vaudin, whose terms appear to me to be very reasonable'. The Postmaster General agreed that Vaudin should be directed to supply the seven pedestals and boxes."
"Unfortunately, no trace of the sketch referred to by Creswell can be traced in the archives of the General Post Office, but local legend has it that Vaudin was a blacksmith and that the boxes were cast at Le Feuvre's foundry in Bath Street, St. Helier. "
 
In October 1852, the Chronique de Jersey informed its readers that "Workmen are engaged in placing in various parts of the town certain granite blocks to serve as bases for the cast-iron pillars which are about to be erected to receive letters. The work is under the direction of Mr. Watson, one of the highly placed officers of the General Post Office, who has come to Jersey for the purpose of setting in order certain matters relative to the postal service"
 
Six days later, the Jersey Times noted: "The cut granite Pedestals for the cast-metal receivers for letters, as assistant post offices, are now being put down in various parts of the town and suburbs. Those already set are at the top of Midvale Road at the junction with Campbell Terrace; at David Place, corner of Wellington Street; at Colomberie, corner of St. Clement's main road; others are being placed at Quatre Bras and Cheapside. These, when completed (and it is high time that completed they should be), will be a great benefit to those of the public who reside at some distance from the General Post Office".
 
In November 1852, the Postmaster of St. Helier informed the public that on 23 November 1852, roadside letter boxes would be opened in the following locations:
 
David Place, Nearly opposite the Rectory.
New Street, In front of Mr. Fry's, Painter and Glazier.
Cheapside, Top of the Parade."
St. Clement's Road,      Corner of Plaisance.
 
Unfortunately there is no sketch of the design of these boxes, but the Jersey Times of 26th November 1852 did give an eye witness report of the appearance of the newly installed pillar boxes:
 
"The Post Office Receivers are now erected and in full use, and a very great convenience they are to the public. They are made of cast-metal, are about four feet high and are sexagonal. On three of the sides, near the top, are the Royal Arms; on two sides the words Post Office; on the other the words Letter-Box; with a protected receiver. A sliding cover allows the collector to unlock the receiver and remove its contents. They are painted red and fitted in solid granite blocks two feet deep and raised four inches from the ground."
 
The Guernsey boxes were also being erected, despite a small amount of dissent over the sites selected by the Postmaster General, and an additional box was also approved at the expense of the Post Office. An allowance of one shilling and two pence a week was granted to two of the town's letter carriers as payment for clearing the boxes.
 
Farrugia's history tells us of changes that were made to improve the boxes:
 
"In June 1853, just four months after the extension of the scheme to Guernsey, another of Creswell's Clerks submitted an on-the-spot report from Jersey in which he stated that the box `standing at the head of Bath Street was too small", and that, with the view of having the box replaced by a larger one', he had `been to Mr. Vaudin's Foundry and seen the models he used in casting the former Pillars'. He enclosed a letter from Mr. Vaudin in which Vaudin described a way of casting a large box from his original model, or pattern,"
 
Creswell's Clerk went on to report that Vaudin had said that "should any more Pillars of the larger size be required ... the extra cost of each above the former price ... would be comparatively trifling, and that he would still be able to furnish ones of the old dimensions at the former cost, as the models, etc.,would, after the alteration, be applicable for casting either description of Pillar".
 
Vaudin continued: "The Pillars now have six 8 inch sides at regular angles, and the model for casting them in two parts'. He ended his report with the suggestion that the 'halves of the model should be placed 8 inches apart by the addition of two 8 inch sides, so that the proposed Pillar would be eightsided, though not an exact octagon, but it would look nearly, if not quite, as well as though it were".
 
We have some pretty exact measurements here, and while Jersey does not have any of the original Vaudin prototypes, Farrugia thinks it almost certain that Guernsey still does - one in Union Street, and one which was transferred from Hauteville to the Guernsey Museum in Candy Gardens in 1953.
 
Trollope was pleased of the success of the pillar boxes, and wrote as follows:
 
"Short as is the experience I have had of the working of these Boxes I feel assured that their introduction in England would be followed by most beneficial results but there they must be
introduced liberally and energetically, and with fitting modification as to size and make..."
 
And so, in 1853, the scheme was extended to the mainland. The rest, as they say, is history.
 
 
References
The Letter Box, Joan Young Farrigia, 1969
http://postalheritage.wordpress.com/tag/anthony-trollope/

Post Box Closures: A Sensible Reform

In G.K. Chesterton's story "The Blue Cross", the exploits are given of Flambeau, the "colossus of crime", including this one - " It is quite certain that he invented a portable pillar-box, which he put up at corners in quiet suburbs on the chance of strangers dropping postal orders into it." Sadly, the postal order, along with the wedding telegram, have gone, but despite the changes in society, and the massive fall in the use of post boxes by the general public since the days of the postal order, the number of boxes in Jersey has remained constant until now, some almost completely unused, but still consuming the same amount of manpower as in the 1950s and 1960s. This is all about to change.
 
Just over 25% of the Island's post boxes are being closed over the next few months, provoking rather emotional reports from the Jersey Evening Post, such as: "More than a quarter of post boxes in Jersey are to be scrapped as part of major changes to the postal service"
 
This is seen as a cost-cutting exercise with little or no regard for the historical significance of the Post Boxes. But this is not the case. Jersey Post - I have been personally informed by Kevin Keen, the Chief Executive - is sympathetic to the historical importance of some the boxes, and some, anyway, (as he told me) cannot be easily removed where they form part of the fabric of a building. Where they can be removed, a photographic record would be taken.
 
Post boxes were first introduced to the British Isle in Jersey by Anthony Trollope, who got the idea from similar designs in France. The first ones were made at the local foundry of Vaudin & Son, and were erected in David Place, New Street, Cheapside and St Clement's Road,  St Helier and brought into public use on 23 November 1852.
 
But patterns of use have changed. Some of the older Post Boxes are in locations which seem obscure to us today, but which made sense in the Jersey before the Second World War, when motor cars were not plentiful on Jersey's roads, and most people travelled by foot or by horse, with many more working on the land, in the fields. Hence they are tucked away in small side roads which would have been busy at that time.
 
There is a Victorian one at the top of St Aubin's High Street, which overlooks a great view of St Aubin's Bay, but the many pedestrians who used to come down what was in those days, a main thoroughfare into St Aubin's village, have long gone, and the last average daily samplings showed no mail being posted at all. Who, after all, would climb the hill to post mail, when there is a perfectly good post box by the Parish Hall?
 
One can see the changing culture of Jersey in the locations. George Rex signifies either George V or George VI, and these can be seen along the path taken by the railways. Post-war, the Elizabeth II post boxes mirror the increase of tourism and the boom years.
 
But changing patterns of postal use have led to a decline, and many boxes remain empty or have a minimal amount of daily mail. Most people correspond more by texts, tweets or email today than by post; conversational letter writing is a dying art. More bills are paid by electronic means, leading to less post.
 
To obtain the changing patterns of use, four sampling periods were taken over a period from 2011 to 2013 were undertaken by Jersey Post, with one specifically just focused on the "low volume" boxes identified from the earlier periods. The final sample took place this year and enabled Jersey Post to also identify trends in declining usage.
 
It is not surprising that there are these changes. Today, rather than purchasing and posting a postcard at Bonne Nuit, the tourist will probably take a picture on their smart phone, and have it almost instantly displayed on social media sites, to share with friends and family. It is not surprising that Bonne Nuit, for example, shows a daily average of zero. And the tourist landscape has also changed; there is no longer any hotel at Bonne Nuit.
 
But at present, at least once a day, a Jersey Post worker has to drive down to the bay, and open the box, and check that it is, in fact, still empty, while gently removing the odd snail. It must be a demoralising experience to do this so often, for so many boxes in rural locations, and it also means that there is significant daily mileage covered, and an environmental cost.
 
There are also other locations, for example at St Aubin, where there is a sub-post office, and two post boxes within a few yards from each other. Where boxes are in such close proximity, it makes sense to retain the larger.
 
What will be happening over the next few months?
 
The 51 boxes identified for closure by the sampling process will be taken out of service over the next three months, with five new ones being added for relocated. For example, it makes sense for a post box to be in a more central position in St Brelade's Bay, rather than located on the periphery, where historically there had been a sub post-office.
 
Phase 1 sees 14 boxes closed by the end of July. Phase 2 sees 19 more boxes being taken out of service by the end of August. Phase 3 sees a final 18 boxes taken out of service by the end of September.
 
'Notice of Closure' plates will be going into all Phase 1 boxes starting today and a 3 week-notice period will be given prior to the physical closure of all Phase 2 and Phase 3 boxes.
 
On closure, the boxes will be sealed and plates put in advising of the nearest alternative box
 
No final decision has yet been made regarding the removal and possible auctioning of the closed boxes. Each case will be considered on its own merits and Jersey Post will liaise with 'Heritage' and other appropriate parties before any final decision is implemented.
 
Changes in society require sensible reforms with businesses. These reforms free up resources which can be channeled into improving the existing postal service.
 
Alongside the removal of boxes that are scarcely used, collection services from sub-post offices will be significantly increased. A new 4 pm Monday to Friday collection will be made from all sub post-offices except Broad Street (which will be at 4.30pm) and Rue des Pres (at 5.30 pm). This will ensure more mail leaves the Island on the same day.
 
An additional collection will be made at 6 am from all sub-post office boxes and some other high volume boxes, so that additional local mail can also be delivered the same day.
 
And relocating some boxes to places where they are better placed for access and road safety also means more people will be able to use them.
 
Jersey Post is changing postal collections to be of a size and pattern suited to modern conditions and prospects. In particular, the post boxes and collections must reflect current needs, and this modernisation plan seeks to adapt it to patterns of use in today's society. Anthony Trollope who was first and foremost an innovator, looking for ways to make a better service for the general public, and a more efficient one, would surely approve.

Postal Blues

I went to the Post Box on the High Street, St Aubin. It has VR on it - Victoria Regina. A legacy from the age of Anthony Trollope, but in a strange place. Not at the bottom of the high street, but tucked away at the top, almost before any houses begin. It is a hefty climb, although it has good views. Who would have walked here in the past? Why was it placed here? No one would climb here now to post a letter, that's for certain.

The lives of those who lived and walked by, who posted letters, must have been very different from today's. But who would pass it now to post letters? Who would climb the high street when there is a post box down in St Aubin. The labourers who walked by are gone, and the post box is a last shadow of the past to remind us that they once came this way.

Postal Blues

Along the old post box, a snail crawls
Red metal covered with a coat of grime
The moss creeping over nearby walls
No one has been here for a long time

Once it was a busy path, workers walked
Down to the harbour; once a thriving port
Rich merchants haggled prices, talked
Privateers bargained hard at the Old Court

But that was years ago, now all remains
Is the view, right at the top of the hill
Gone are the walkers by, gone the trains
Victoria Regina say the letters still

It is sad when fragments of the past are left
Almost a time to mourn, to feel bereft

Indulgences and the Last of Anthony Trollope’s Legacy

Indulgences

At the Opera that evening Sir Humphrey Appleby had a drink in the Crush Bar with Sir Ian Whitworth, Permanent Secretary of the Department of the Environment. We have found an account of the meeting in Appleby's private diary.

Had a chat with Ian W. over a couple of large G and Ts and those delicious little smoked salmon sandwiches in the Crush Bar.

(Yes Minister, The Middle Class Rip-Off)

A group of 12 people – including the Chief Minister, Ian Gorst, Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf, the Lieutenant-Governor, General Sir John McColl, the Bailiff, Sir Michael Birt, senior States officers and several UK MPs – dined at the Michelin-starred Atlantic Hotel on Sunday 23 June with a final bill, including drinks, of £1084.75. That's around £90 per person.

These figures emerged from a question by Shona Pitman in the States. If she had not asked it, we would be none the wiser, and doubtless the figure would have ended up in "sundry entertainment" somewhere in the States accounts. It might be an interesting supplementary to ask just where it will end up, so that we can identify its progress into the wonderful world of number time.

Deputy Sean Power thinks that this is a fuss about nothing.

"I simply do not understand the fuss over this. Four locals had lunch in a "new" St. Helier restaurant two weeks ago. Two courses and just two glasses of wine. £400.00. Like you Tony, I could not afford this nor would want to pay that kind of money. However, in Jersey, London, Dublin and elsewhere, there are restaurants that charge this as a matter of course. The Atlantic is by all accounts, very good. Besides the UK MP's were staying there. Are we suggesting they have fish and chips at Corbière, or the Goose or that Ian Gorst buys a takeaway and the sit in a TTS minibus on the Five Mile Road ??? Please!"

But of course this is putting two opposite ends together as the only alternatives. That of course is not the case at all. There is a wide range of other places less expensive that do just as good food.

Of course the MPs in question should not have been taken to a pub, let's be real. Although I do remember that John Major, former Prime Minister, had a fondest for pubs, and battered cod and chips and still does; he never forgot his roots. I always found that rather endearing.

But what kind of message does this kind of expense give? It is almost saying to the MPs that "money is no object"; it is a kind of culinary flattery, or to choose terms in "Yes Minister", a "sweetener". Only the best will do, this is how we dine MPs – these are the kinds of messages that this gives forth.

It is ridiculous to say that they should have a choice between a vastly expensive meal and fish and chips. It is like saying that we have two ways of treating warts – a top plastic surgeon, or old Meg, the wise woman with her leeches. This isn't really a good way to argue. There is of course a whole range of options in between.

For example, I'm sure that L'Horizon or St Brelade's Bay Hotel, would provide an excellent meal at a more modest cost.

Deputy Power's second argument focuses on the fact that the visiting dignitaries were staying at the Atlantic Hotel, and it would cost more to move them to another venue:

"So, had they all left the Atlantic in three taxis or hired cars or three of Curwoods cars, then gone to another restaurant like the Boathouse or the Summerville, would it have been any cheaper. They could have hired a 16 seater bus for a couple of hundred pounds, or six taxis. They might even have had a nominated non-drinking driver/s. Who knows? The UK MP's were staying at the Atlantic. It was easier to eat there, I presume. The debate is not needed"

But this surely begs the question of why choose that venue for them to stay? Surely the venue and meal had been arranged beforehand; this was not some off the cuff last minute Sunday soiree. So why not arrange for them to stay at a different venue where the meals would be more modest, such as L'Horizon Hotel or St Brelade's Bay Hotel. That way the transport problem would be resolved, and they would have a chance to see the bay – a good incidental promotion of Jersey as a tourist destination.

I agree James Rondel when he thinks that some wining and dining is called for with visiting dignitaries, but at times of austerity, in particular, this kind of Versailles style extravagance does the States no good:

"I feel that this is not the first, nor will it be the last expensive meal. Indeed this has only been brought to our attention because of some very blatant politicking. My problem is more with the civil service and I feel we need leadership from our Council of Ministers to really get a grip and indoctrinate the notion that it is the tax payers money and not their 'budgets' which allow for expensive meals."

And in the Politics Jersey Group, he makes the same point:

"The amount spent on the meal in the face of austerity is quite wrong. Further to this however is the level of blatant politicking by a certain number of States politicians. Let's remember they were the same number defending Lenny Harper's meals in St Brelade. The cynic in me suggests that this is not the first, nor will it be the last expensive meal. The mindset of the civil service is bizarre and needs a complete overhaul. They need reminding that it is our money, and not their 'budget' which they are entitled to spend. I don't think singling this meal out will solve anything, what we need is a Chief Minister who is going to revolutionise the civil service and get a better deal for the Jersey tax payer."

James is certainly right that this won't be the last expensive meal. But there is growing feeling worldwide that austerity measures meted out should begin at home. An excessively high entertainment account in Canada recently (2012) prompted the following response:

"Why should everyone but the governments tighten their belts.   There are many who cannot have wine with their dinner, in fact are even struggling to put food on the table because of the economy.   Maybe there should be a global meeting with heads of state to discuss how to cut back on the outrageous costs of  wining and dining dignitaries while discussing austerity measures for the middle class and the poor.  Perhaps they could have this meeting over the internet on a conference call.   They won't even have to leave home."

Formerly, indulgences were a means of showing that you were penitential, but the word has changed in meaning, and now it means indulging in luxury. It is perhaps a cliché to speak of politicians getting on the "gravy train", but in the case of expensive meals, that may be literally true.

The Last of Anthony Trollope's Legacy

Pity the poor little Pillar-Box
Standing in the rain all day.
Gazing out in each direction
Hoping for the next collection.
Everyone owes to the Pillar-Box
A debt they can't repay,
So pity the pretty little Pillar-Box ...
Pillar-Box, you're O.K!
Standing in the rain all day.

(Flanders and Swann, Pillar to Post)

Before there were pillar boxes for putting mail into, there were three ways of posting a letter. Giving it to a postman upon collection of mail, or waiting for the Bellman, who wore a uniform and rang a bell to attract attention, and would collect mail – or taking the letter in person to a receiving house (an early form of Post office)

It was Anthony Trollope, working as Surveyor's Clerk for the Post Office, who saw the road side letter boxes in use in France and Belgium. Trollope's report on postal services in the Channel Islands included a recommendation to try pillar boxes out in St Helier, Jersey and this pilot scheme was approved, with pillar boxes appearing in the Channel Islands in 1854. A year later, the introduction to the Channel Islands had been such as success that they were introduced to Britain.

Above all this gave young women privacy. They could send letters freely without a public trip to a post office. I can see why this took away privacy. In the 1970s, there was a post office in St Brelade's Bay, and it was a centre of gossip for the Bay, and of course back in the early 19th century, I can imagine that gossip about people bringing letters, and the names and addresses on those letters.

But now the time of the post box is gone. By the end of September 2013, 25% of them will have gone in Jersey. Apparently this is because of the fall off in use, but the statistics backing this up have not been published. We are told that "some boxes only got five pieces of mail a day", but not which ones.

It is certainly true that some of the more remote locations probably don't get a lot of post, but I find it surprising that Elizabeth Avenue, for example, is on the "hit list", as I've found it so full you cannot post mail. It is in a good location, an easy stop off the main road on the way into town in the morning. Now it is to be replaced by a new box location along the Avenue – will that be as accessible? And how do you post a letter if you live in St Aubin at St Brelade's Parish Hall(the only option)  if it is closed?

It is a shame there has been little or no public consultation by Jersey Post.

Here is the list of those going:

41 - Greve de Lecq; 123 - Val de la Mare; 104 - High Street; 125 - Ouaisne ; 113 - Corbière ; 121 - St Catherine ; 135 - Mont Au Pretre ; 126 - Bonne Nuit; 47 - Bel Royal 38 - Longueville Court ; 111 - Pied de la Rue ;12 - Mont Pinel ; 172 - Albert Quay ; 53 - Mont Cochon ; 77 - Le Rondin  ; 54 - Les Hureaux  ; 120 - Le Marais  ;58 - L'Etacq  ; 117 - Vinchelez ; 74 - Beaumont Village  ; 56 - St Aubin Sub Office  ; 97 - Mont Au Roux  ; 148 - Elizabeth Avenue  ; 49 - Ravencliffe  ; 92 - St Brelade's Bay  ; 165 - La Pulente  ; 146 - Mont Fondan  ; 130 - Airport (Arrivals Hall) ; 23 - Mont Gras D'Eau  ; 95 - St Cyr  ; 19 - Living Legend  ; 43 - Pierson Road  ; 48 - New St John's Road  ; 124 - Rouen ; 69 - Les Landes ; 20 - Greencliffe ; 143 - St Martin's Arsenal ; 110 - La Hougue Avenue ; 112 - Grouville Arsenal ; 83 - Faldouet ; 31 - Gorey Hill ; 150 - Anne Port ; 57 - Gorey Village ; 76 - La Rocque Chapel ; 27 - Le Bourg ; 70 - Pontac ; 138 - Constancia Lodge ; 139 - Havre des Pas ; 37 - Green Street ; 13 - Rouge Bouillon

We are soon going to back to the days when the Post Office was the only reliable place to post letters, as collections from remaining sites are also being reduced. It reminds me of a passage in Anthony Trollope's novel "He Knew He Was Right":

"Miss Stanbury carried her letter all the way to the chief post-office in the city, having no faith whatever in those little subsidiary receiving houses which are established in different parts of the city. As for the iron pillar boxes which had been erected of late years for the receipt of letters, one of which--a most hateful thing to her--stood almost close to her own hall door, she had not the faintest belief that any letter put into one of them would ever reach its destination.  She could not understand why people should not walk with their letters to a respectable post-office instead of chucking them into an iron stump as she called it out in the middle of the street with nobody to look after it. Positive orders had been given that no letter from her house should ever be put into the iron post."