Postboxes in Scotland

Caroline A · Post by **Caroline A** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:23 pm

Whilst on a visit to England, I became very interested in the old postboxes with the reigning monarch's initials. Do the postboxes in Scotland has these initials and if so, does anyone know where the oldest on is??

TIA,
Caroline

Post by **marilyn morning** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:04 pm

Hi Caroline,

I don't have the answer to your question, but someone will be along shortly whom may have.

Meanwhile, Welcome To TalkingScot!

Regards
Marilyn

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:47 pm

Now there's an interesting thing!

The oldest one will go back to the setting up of The Post Office

Up to the accession of the current monarch, there are indeed many, many surviving red boxes with the monarchs initials and regnal number, e.g. " GVR " = "George the Fifth Rex" and " VR " before that all over the UK, and there are doubtless 100s or 1000s of boxes in England with the initials " EIIR " = "Elizabeth the Second Regina", but nary a one in Scotland with that inscription.

Can anyone come up with the reason?

Hint: The oath that Scottish advocates swear is connected.

David

PS In case anyone's wondering, any such Irish ones were long since blown up, removed, or the regnal initials removed, and the boxes painted green.

There's a beautiful story of a BBC engineer, at home in the first few days after BBC went from B&W to colour, who was going round the bend trying to adjust his set so that the postboxes showed as red, before he discovered that the documentary he was watching was about Ireland

dww

PPS
The full list is

VR 1837 to 1901 Queen Victoria (UK of Britain & Ireland)
EVIIR 1901 to 1910 Edward VII (-do-)
GVR 1910 to 1936 George V (-do- to 1921, thereafter UK of Britain & N Ireland)
EVIIIR 1936 Edward VIII (UK of Britain and N Ireland)
GVIR 1936 to 1952 George VI (-do-)
EIIR 1952 Elizabeth II (England only, I'm not sure about N Ireland)

Post by **emanday** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:16 pm

You know what? I can't remember seeing anything like that on a Scottish postbox! Or wasn't I paying attention?

Post by **AndrewP** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:54 pm

Did the Scottish Nationalists not blow up some EIIR post boxes that were installed soon after the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second of England, probably of Wales and perhaps Ireland; but not Scotland.

(more than a decade before I was born)

The Scots Post Boxes since then have had the crown of Scotland decoration, but no monarch's cipher.

All the best,

AndrewP

Post by **emanday** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:59 pm

The Scots Post Boxes since then have had the crown of Scotland decoration, but no monarch's cipher.

So I was paying attention after all?

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:13 pm

emanday wrote:
The Scots Post Boxes since then have had the crown of Scotland decoration, but no monarch's cipher.
So I was paying attention after all?

As Scotland's greatest living philosopher, much in the news at the moment, - "Big Eck", - would say, "Maybes aye, maybes naw"

AndrewP's on the way there, but yet 100%, never mind picking up on the advocates' link

David

Post by **emanday** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:20 pm

Aw Gawn, David. Spill the beans

Post by **AndrewP** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:25 pm

Are you saying there is more to it than Betty Windsor being Elizabeth the First of Scotland? As when the other Elizabeth the First (Betty Tudor) was Queen of England, Scotland had her own monarchy, as it was before 1603 - the Union of the Crowns.

All the best,

AndrewP

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:25 pm

emanday wrote:Aw Gawn, David. Spill the beans

Naw

, no jist yet, - the ither hauf of the world

his tae be gied a chance tae cum [Wow! interesting that the bad word editor on TS permits this word, - I know of many sites where I'd have been automativally banned

] oan line, - be they earlier or later in terms of time zone relation to Auld Scotia

, - oor hauf, sae to speir

David