Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English novelist probably best known for a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire. However, he was also a Civil Servant and rose to a fairly high position within the Post Office. In 1852 he was sent to the Channel Islands to try to solve the problem of collecting mail on a pair of islands. His solution was the introduction of what we know today as the pillar box.
In 1855 the first boxes in London were constructed. At first there were only five of them - one of which was in Rutland Gate, and this box, although not the original one, represents one of the very first.
The five original London boxes all bear a commemorative plaque celebrating the bi-centenary of Trollope's birth.
To begin with, pillar boxes varied in design from area to area, but were standardised into the cylindrical boxes we know today in 1879.
You can tell in which era a box was constructed as it bears the initials, or 'cypher', of the reigning monarch at the time - eg VR (Queen Victoria 1837-1901), GR (George V 1910-1936), EIIR (Queen Elizabeth II 1952-2022).
In each case the 'R' is Latin for either 'Rex' for a King, or 'Regina' for a Queen.
Pillar boxes manufactured by iron founders Andrew Handyside and Co between 1879 and 1887 omitted the words POST OFFICE and the VR royal cipher, and these boxes are known as Anonymous as a result. The Post Office realised they had made a mistake and made sure from 1887 onwards the royal cypher was included on the pillar box.
However, some rare examples of Anonymous boxes still exist, and this is one of them. It is doubly-rare as it is also one of the first five to be installed in the UK.
From the cache the pillar box is 50m down the road to the South. It is a little-known piece of history, and is worth a visit.
If you are interested in unusual pillar boxes, then check out my other caches in this series:
Special Delivery #1 - GCACP55
Special Delivery #2 - GCAR9WC
Special Delivery #3 - GCARPBA
Special Delivery #4 - GCAVWE1
Special Delivery #5 - GCAXDX6
Special Delivery #6 - GCB4GFY
Special Delivery #7 - GCB118Y
Special Delivery #8 - GCAXE0N
Special Delivery #9 - GCB2ZV0
Special Delivery #10 - GCB359X