Survey Data
Reg No
40852074
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Social, Technical
Original Use
Post box
In Use As
Post box
Date
1920 - 1950
Coordinates
187557, 361165
Date Recorded
23/10/2007
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Wall-mounted cast-iron post box, erected between 1924 - 46, with raised 'P&T' monogram in Gaelic script to head and with 'Jessop Davis Enniscorthy' foundry mark to base. Set into rendered boundary wall surrounding national school (not in survey). Located just to the south of St. Joseph’s Catholic church (40852073), and to the south of Ballyshannon town centre.
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 of Ballyshannon town centre, and is an addition to the built heritage of the local area. This post box is located outside a school building, c. 1960, and may have been moved to this location from another site.