Dec 5 - Black Country Museum This living museum transports its visitors back to the West Midlands' heyday as a bastion of industry. The careful work of its curators has led to period-appropriate postboxes, including an original Penfold and this more-recent pillar box. Website: bclm.com

Dec 4 - National Railway Museum Home to the great locomotives of British and international history, this fantastic museum includes a travelling post office. Trains transformed communication, allowing letters to be delivered across the UK in record time. Website: www.railwaymuseum.org.uk

Dec 3 - Ulster American Folk Park Ireland was a major country of departure for many emigrants to the US. Mountjoy Post Office in Omagh, Ulster, was a communication lifeline for their families. Many of them may have used the Victorian wall box pictured here. Website: www.ulsteramericanfolkpark.org

Dec 2 - Shetland Museum This Lerwick museum explores the history of the Shetlands from the first settlers to the present day. One of their many exhibits is this excellent Edward VII semi-circular top ('Hovis') lamp box. Website: www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk #adventcalendar

Dec 1 - Bletchley Park Museum During World War II this manor hosted a top secret part of Britain's defence against the Axis. British codebreakers cracked the Enigma and Lorenz ciphers. This wall box would have been a much-needed connection point with loved ones. Website: www.bletchleypark.org.uk

Tomorrow is December 1, which means it's time for our annual advent calendar! This year's theme will be "Museums", and we'll be showing off some interesting museums and postboxes over the next 24 days. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season

The 'Bantam' pedestal box - more properly the 'Type N' - was the last of the type lettered pillar boxes. Introduced in 1999, it featured an updated collection system. Welsh language versions were also produced - the first time this had been seen on a postbox #postboxsaturday

Some of the lesser-spotted #postboxes of Elizabeth II's reign are the Jana pillar box, made of fibreglass, and the Postbox TV, which was intended for advertising. This Jana is notable as it briefly featured in The Full Monty. It is pictured here with yellow stripes to indicate a Sunday collection

The other pillar box design to get an upgrade in the 1990s was the Type A, but this was mainly cosmetic. Both Machan and Hillsyde foundries made them; Machans have no gap between the collection plate and aperture, while Hillsydes have a large gap #postboxsaturday

From 1991, new Type C pillar boxes were installed. They featured doors on the front rather than the end, an updated crown and cipher, and the new words "ROYAL MAIL". With this, Machan Engineering made one of the more extreme updates a pillar box design has had since 1905 #postboxsaturday

Not all #postboxes produced in Elizabeth II's reign were made of metal. Broadwater Mouldings produced these fibreglass boxes, installed in supermarkets and transport hubs across the UK. A few, installed in airports, have clear backs for security reasons.

Postboxes received a major rebrand in the 1990s, swapping the 150-year-old words 'POST OFFICE' for "ROYAL MAIL". Soon, the Post Office would be split out into its own company, only responsible for the offices. The iconic red boxes are still under the care of Royal Mail. #postboxsaturday

While most #postbox manufacturers merely produced the postbox designs requested, Machan Engineering were different. They approached Royal Mail with some ideas of their own, including the Types L and M pedestal boxes - here's a Type L with the Scottish Crown, and a Type M with Elizabeth II's cipher

British industry declined from the 1980s. Long term postbox manufacturer Carron Company went insolvent in 1982. Their successors were Carronade (pictured) and Machan Engineering, the latter bringing several new postbox designs to our streets before closing their doors in 2016 #postboxsaturday

We've seen plenty of autumn-themed box toppers this year. Here's one we found on a 1990s Type C pillar box while attending the LBSG AGM in Shifnal. What a lovely job the crafter did, even including a postbox and postie! #postboxsaturday

This magnificent Type A pillar box in Belfast enjoys a great view over the majestic buildings of Queens University. The trees were showing the yellows of early autumn when this photo was taken; by now the ground is surely scattered with their leaves. #postboxsaturday

As promised, a few photos from the LBSG AGM yesterday. We had a wonderful day with friends old and new, including special guest Chris Taft from @thepostalmuseum.bsky.social who gave a talk about the museum and their plans for 2026 and beyond 🤫

How many autumns have come and gone since this Victorian wall box was installed? It stands as testament to the endurance of postboxes and letters, of cast iron and a lick of red paint. This weekend is the Letter Box Study Group AGM, in Shifnal. Look out tomorrow for photos! #postboxsaturday

Autumn has crept in; the leaves crunch underfoot and there's a chill in the air. What better inspiration for a postbox topper? This lovely pair of Type Ks outside the Post Office in Warwick have been seasonally decorated with animals, scarecrows and leaves #postboxsaturday #postbox #autumn

Now arriving in LBSG members' letter boxes, it's newsletter 198! lbsg.org/membership

Steel Type F (1968) and later cast iron Type G (1974) pillar boxes were a failed experiment in square postboxes. Their shape was rejected by the British public who petitioned for a return to tradition. Type Fs were also highly susceptible to corrosion and none remain on our streets #postboxsaturday

Another radio appearance today discussing the new solar panel postboxes - BBC Radio Scotland www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... (10 minutes before end of show)

Did you hear our interview with Evan Davies on BBC Radio 4 about the new solar panel postboxes? www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...

📮Attention Postbox Lovers 📮 Royal Mail is upgrading postboxes to accept parcels. They'll gain a new slot (which still accepts letters) and a solar panel on top. To identify boxes being upgraded look for: - slimmer pillar boxes - jutting out apertures - EIIR/Scottish Crown cipher #PostboxSaturday

During the early decades of Elizabeth's reign, Type C (oval) pillar boxes saw no real design changes. Unlike the later Type Cs, these have doors on either end. They ceased production in the 1980s #postboxsaturday

www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/2537416... Has your local postbox mysteriously had its door removed and been wrapped in black film? Solar powered postboxes are on the way #postbox

After McDowall Steven folded in 1957, Carron Company took up manufacture of Type A pillar boxes alongside the Type Bs they already made. That same year they altered the design of the aperture; the new wide, protruding slot made it easier to accept larger mail items. #postboxsaturday

As the Post Office centralised postbox provision during the 1950s, there was no longer any need for Ludlow wall boxes - a cheaper box made of wood and iron that sub-postmasters in rural areas could afford. The last ones were manufactured in EIIR and Scottish Crown versions in 1960 #postboxsaturday

The first Elizabeth II pillar box to be installed was on Whitehall, a Type A manufactured by McDowall Steven & Co. That box no longer exists, but others are still installed across the country. McDowall Steven went out of business in 1957; these were the last postboxes they ever made #postboxsaturday

This George V pillar box in Edinburgh has a secret past as a 1930s blue-painted airmail box, with two collection plate holders. Ex-airmail boxes can often be identified by the replacement 'chunky' plate holder. The pictured airmail box at Windsor shows the original appearance #postboxsaturday

Have you seen these postboxes? If you're holidaying in the UK this year, why not see what postboxes (and parcel lockers) you can see while travelling? Let us know what you find, and support our mission to record and protect the UK's postal heritage #postboxsaturday

This Ludlow postbox, seemingly from Edward VII's reign, is actually one of the few from Edward VIII's (there's also a couple with his full cipher). Notably it carries the "female" crown as Ludlows did not switch crowns for kings until the reign of George VI #postboxsaturday

Ludlows wall boxes were produced up to 1960, when Royal Mail took over provisioning of all postboxes including at sub-post offices. Because of this, Elizabeth II is the last monarch to carry them in her name #postboxsaturday

Ludlow wall boxes were made in various styles by three different manufacturers in Birmingham - the Eagle Range & Foundry, ER Cole, and their namesake James Ludlow. The Eagle boxes are hard to spot (pic 1), but Cole and Ludlow (pic 2 and 3) are more distinctive #postboxsaturday

Often mistaken for an ordinary wall box, Ludlows - often with white enamel plates - were made with wood and a cast iron frame, making them significantly cheaper for sub-postmasters at Post Offices to purchase. Prone to rot and replacement, they are becoming harder to find #postboxsaturday

We finish our tour of George VI boxes with this well-cared for wall box in Bermuda, courtesy of member Judith. Bermuda, which voted against independence in 1995, is a self-governing British Overseas Territory, and like many British territories still uses UK-sourced postboxes #postboxsaturday

Lamp boxes saw significant design changes during George VI's reign. Moving from the earlier "wagon tops" to the 1940s "Tin Georgies", the new design would last until 2010 with minimal changes #postboxsaturday

Wall boxes in George VI's reign stayed much the same from the start to the end. The larger boxes, such as this one in Wells, were manufactured by McDowall Steven; the smaller ones, by WT Allen #postboxsaturday

These Type B pillar boxes from George VI's reign are almost identical. But the keen-eyed might notice that they are not twins - the left box was made by Lion Foundry, and the right by Carron Company. Which differences can you spot? #postboxsaturday

New Royal Mail parcel lockers are being rolled out across the UK. Unlike the lockers they share with other parcel services, these are bright red and decorated with cheerful postal-themed images #postbox

From 1980-2001 Royal Mail produced the Type K pillar box, restoring cylindrical boxes after public pushback against the square Type F and G designs, but keeping their innovations. Type Ks are found across the UK—like this one nestled in a neatly trimmed hedge in Edinburgh. #PostboxSaturday

This mass of ferns and flowers might need a trim if the postie's going to continue collecting post from this 2014-2025 lamp box. New Charles III lamp boxes use the same design, differing only in the metal plate that carries the cipher #Postbox

Framed within a leafy hedge, and further sheltered from the elements in a wall niche, this late Victorian size C (small) wall box in the south of England is sure to stand the test of time #postboxsaturday

This 'solar powered' postbox in Ware sits under the canopy of a grand old tree, which may affect the results of Royal Mail's trial. Hopefully the solar panels will be kept clean and with enough view of the sky to keep the scanner charged. Thanks to members Drew and Liz for the photos #postbox

I’ll be discussing rare and wonderful British postboxes with @lbsg.org’s very own Robert Cole. Are solar powered boxes the future? Why supermarkets insist on mucking about with hot cross buns. And…

2020 vs 2025 - member Liz shared these before and after photos of one of the new solar panel parcel postboxes in Ware. Once a favourite box for postbox topper knitters, its new solar panel means they'll have to find somewhere else! What do you make of the changes? #postbox

This postbox played a good game of hide and seek, but member Richard found it eventually. The Scottish Crown on the front replaced the royal cipher in Scotland after 1952 due to attacks on an Elizabeth II box in Edinburgh #postboxsaturday

The "solar powered postbox" isn't the first time postbox apertures have been modified. In the 1950s and 60s, many small wall boxes had their apertures widened to admit larger letters - from 6 3/16 inches (15.7cm) to 8 inches (20.3cm)

There's a new 'postbox of the future' - cast iron boxes are being retrofitted with solar panels and a new aperture to scan and accept parcels. If you live in Hertfordshire or Cambridgeshire, let us know if there's one near you! www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The new Charles III pillar box in Brighton has been given a knitted topper showing off posties collecting and delivering mail. The knitter was commissioned by Royal Mail.