Carpenter’s boxes

These types of box are often referred to as "Carpenter’s boxes", a term I heard used by Steve Knight of the Colne Valley Postal History Museum during a recent talk.

The name comes from how posting facilities were provided at many sub-post offices in the late nineteenth century. At that time, a newly appointed sub-postmaster was normally responsible for supplying a suitable letter box at their own expense if one was not already installed. Because standard cast-iron wall boxes were relatively expensive, many sub-postmasters instead commissioned a locally made wooden posting box, often built by a village carpenter to suit the building.

To make these locally made boxes official for postal use, the GPO supplied a standard enamel POST OFFICE plate and aperture surround. Once fitted, the box functioned in exactly the same way as a centrally supplied post box.

These locally produced installations became known informally as Carpenter’s boxes. They are closely related to Ludlow boxes, which were commercially manufactured wooden wall boxes introduced from 1885 as a cheaper alternative to cast-iron types and widely purchased by sub-postmasters for the same reason.