Survey Data
Reg No
40819016
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Post box
In Use As
Post box
Date
1925 - 1950
Coordinates
229844, 427657
Date Recorded
28/09/2010
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Wall-mounted cast-iron post box, erected between 1924-46, having 'P&T' monogram in Gaelic script to head and with 'Jessop Davis, Enniscorthy’ foundry mark to base. Bevelled surround. Still in use. Set into roughcast rendered boundary wall to the rear (west) of The White Harte public house, and to the south-east end of Pier Road, to the east\north-east of the centre of Rathmullan.
Appraisal
An attractive item of street furniture that represents an early surviving artefact of mass-produced cast-iron ware. Its survival is testament to the quality of its original design and of the materials used in its manufacturing. The modest design of the box is enhanced by the raised ' P&T' motif (Department of Posts and Telegraphs) in Celtic Revival-style script and by the raised foundry mark to the base, which enliven the appearance of this otherwise functional object. The use of Old Irish lettering represents tangible, if subtle evidence of the promotion of an indigenous national identity by the newly independent state. It was cast at the Jessop Davis Foundry (c. 1890-1964) of Enniscorthy, County Wexford. This simple piece of street furniture makes a positive contribution to the streetscape to the south-east end of Pier Street, Rathmullan, and is an integral, if subtle, element of the built heritage of the local area.