Reg No
50020308
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Artistic, Social, Technical
Original Use
Post box
In Use As
Post box
Date
1920 - 1940
Coordinates
316154, 234259
Date Recorded
24/02/2015
Date Updated
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Freestanding cast-iron pillar post box, erected c.1930. Shallow domed cap with fluted rim, moulded neck, plinth and letter slot, flanked by raised lettering ‘POST OFFICE’. Maker's insignia 'A. Handyside, Derby & London', to front (south) elevation of plinth. Located on the Townsend Street footpath to south of Screen Cinema.
The survival of this pillar post box is testament to the quality of design and manufacture of mass-produced cast-ironwork in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Moulded detailing adds subtle decorative interest to what would otherwise be a solely functional object. The manufacturer, Andrew Handyside & Company of Derby, held the Post Office contract to make pillar boxes for Britain and Ireland from 1878 to 1933 (known as Derby Castings in the 1930s), and the lettering to the base lends contextual interest. Located on a site redeveloped in the late twentieth century, this is not its original location. However, it continues in daily use, and is a functional component of Dublin's heritage, adding to the character of the streetscape.