Maintenance team delivers on postbox paint jobs

There are 144 postboxes in Guernsey, as well as seven in Alderney and one each in Herm and Sark.

A third of the boxes – 43 – date from the 1920s and 1930s, during the reigns of George V, Edward VIII and George VI, while five date from 1901 to 1910, during the reign of Edward VII.

The oldest working postbox in the British Isles is in Union Street, dating from 1853. Around 20 other local postboxes also date from the Victorian era.

It is possible to date a postbox through its initials, with ER for the current monarch.

‘All of our external post boxes are made from cast iron and our double aperture boxes (such as the one outside Envoy House) weigh nearly a ton,’ a Guernsey Post spokeswoman said.

‘Unfortunately, due to the ongoing decline of letter mail, the traditional cast iron pillar boxes are now hard to come by, with the main UK manufacturer ceasing trading a few years back. Royal Mail have begun to roll out stainless steel parcel postboxes across the UK, large enough to allow customers to post pre-paid parcels.’

However, the traditional cast iron boxes are robust, so are unlikely to require replacing soon.

Any new parcel postboxes would likely to be stainless steel, but there are no plans for these at the moment.

All local postboxes undergo maintenance every two years, although some closer to the sea get annual care.

‘The maintenance includes greasing the brass locks and painting the box with a marine grade paint.

‘Our team are sometimes called to the boxes to assist members of the public who have accidentally posted their car or house keys while posting a letter, and sometimes we have to remove nests of ants or bees.’

There are a large number of postbox enthusiasts in the UK, with some travelling the country to photograph and log every one.

The gold postbox in Sark has attracted a number of visitors after it was painted that colour following the success in the Olympics of dressage rider Carl Hester, who has close links with the island.