The jaunty red post box is iconic - as much a symbol of Britain as a black taxi, a red double decker bus or a red phone box. They've been on our streets since 1853 and today there are around 85,000. But look closer, and you'll notice that not all post boxes are alike: they all bear the cypher (a King or Queen's royal symbol - usually a combination of their initials and a crown) of the monarch during whose reign they were installed. Next time you're out and about in the UK, see how many you can spot! There are 7 monarchs to look out for...
About 2 weeks ago, a new generation was born when the very first post box bearing King Charles III's cypher was installed in Great Cambourne, Cambridgeshire. You might be wondering why it has taken so long, when Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, and King Charles' coronation was back in May 2023; Quite simply, up until now, any new post boxes have come from existing stock and so have still borne the cypher of the late Queen.
As we live a short drive from Great Cambourne, we decided to go and find it. Here is everything you need to know about visiting the new post box! It's easy to spot - the bright red pillar box stands alone on a wide stretch of pavement next to the road. The King's cypher, a combination of the letters CR and roman numeral III, stands for Carolus Rex (Latin for King Charles) and the number 3, and while this one is gold to commemorate it being the first, all later ones will be painted red.
Walk behind the post box to read a little plaque confirming that this is the first post box with King Charles' royal cypher and with the installation date.
Where is the first King Charles III post box?
You can find the new King Charles III post box on Great Cambourne's High Street. It's right outside Greens coffee shop, 5 High Street, CB23 6JX. When we spoke to someone working in Greens they said that on July 12th, installation day, they opened 2 hours early in order to cater to the queue of people waiting to photograph the post box!
How do I get to the King Charles III post box?
By car: Great Cambourne is in Cambridgeshire, about 20 minutes drive from Huntingdon or 30 minutes from Cambridge.
By bus: You can catch the X3 bus from both Cambridge or Huntingdon - it will take you all the way from Cambridge's Drummer St bus station to within a 3 minute walk of the post box, just hop off after 13 stops at De La Warr Way, which should take around 22 minutes. From Huntingdon bus station, the X3 takes 36 minutes and arrives at De La Warr Way after 22 stops. For another Cambridge option, the number 4, which leaves from outside Jesus College, will also go to the same De La Warr Way bus stop and takes about 26 minutes (20 stops).
By train: Great Cambourne doesn't have a train station - you'd need to get off at Cambridge, Huntingdon or St Neots and then catch a bus to complete your journey - from St Neots, the number 18 from Loves Way takes 19 minutes.
Some quick post box facts:
Did you know that post boxes weren't always bright red? Back in 1853, the Victorians wanted something a little more subtle and so originally all British post boxes were green! Unfortunately they blended in a little too well and people struggled to find them, so over the next 10 years they were repainted in the iconic pillar box red.
While the standard cylindrical design is what most people think of, post boxes have come in various shapes, including rectangular, oval, and hexagonal.
There are 7 royal cyphers to spot: Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II and now Charles III. The rarest post boxes (apart from Charles III) are those with King Edward VIII's cypher - he only reigned for 326 days before abdicating and so less than 200 post boxes bear his initials (168 to be exact). You can see one at the Postal Museum in London!
For the 2012 London Olympics, 110 post boxes were repainted gold to celebrate Britain's Olympic and Paralympic champions. If you have a local 2012 gold medallist then your home town will have a gold post box!
While British post boxes are typically red, there is no universal colour for post boxes around the world: Red: British Commonwealth countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Blue: The United States and Russia. Yellow: Seen in many European countries such as France and Italy. Green: China. Orange: Indonesia. White: Singapore
Edward VII's cypher on a post box we spotted in Colchester and a father/daughter pair that we found in Cambridge with George VI and Elizabeth II cyphers.
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