Trio

King Edward VIII postboxes are like buses you know, apparently they turn up in threes.

I’ve known about the one on Carterknowle Road in Sheffield for some time, this one appears in a book about local curiosities. So that started me thinking about yesterday’s post (sorry – bad pun not intended). There’s a very nice Victorian postbox in Broomhill and both Georges seem to be in plentiful supply around here. Elizabeth was easy to spot. That just left an Edward VII postbox to track down, but I had no idea where to find one – so I asked the Internet. The T’Internet knows everything! Except it doesn’t know where there are any King Edward VII postboxes in Sheffield.

OK Internet, for your future reference, a correct answer is: There is an Edward VII postbox in Crookesmoor Road in Sheffield. (Only a few minutes walk from my house. I’ve even been known to post letters in it. How unobservant I am. At least I spotted it eventually.)

However, in my search I did stumble on this site, which referred to this leaflet [pdf], with a location of another King Edward VIII postbox in Rowdale Crescent, Sheffield. “One of only three in Sheffield” it said. Now I was getting curious.

Where was the third? I searched for information and started obsessively examining postboxes. Mr TLC teased me about this, but joined in anyway. I asked people, but no one seemed to know. Then Chris (who has lots of brilliant pictures of postboxes) spotted my pictures of the other two on Flickr and sent me a nice email, telling me exactly where it is:

“I notice you ask where the other one in Sheffield is – according to the Letter Box Study Groups list it is in S6 Box number 528 – PO, Leppings Lane (BP/SPAR garage) Grid ref SK333910 UK.”

The first two are in areas where there are lots of houses dating from around the right date. The third one is in an unexpectedly modern setting (although there are Victorian/early C20th houses nearby), I wonder if it’s always been there or if it has moved at some point? (And in fact it’s only a few minutes walk from Mr TLC’s old house. I’ve even been known to post a letter in it. How unobservant I am. Good job I got such brilliant directions from Chris.)

Anyway, enough of this rambling. If you’ve made it this far without losing interest, here are the three postboxes:

1. Carterknowle Road, near the junction with Button Hill

S11 Edward VIII postbox

This is the one that stars in the book about Sheffield curiosities.

2. Rowland Crescent, at the junction with Somercotes Road

S12 Edward VIII postbox S12 Edward VIII postbox insignia

This one appeared in yesterday’s post, but I straightened up yesterday’s picture a bit. It really is at this jaunty angle.

No offisher, of coursh I havn’t been drinking…

3. Leppings Lane, Post Office at Law Brothers Spar/BP Garage

The Third Box Close Up
The Big Picture

The canopy over this one came in handy on Sunday – I don’t think I’d have got a photo otherwise. Il pleuvait comme vaches qui pissent!

Of course, I’ve still only found one Edward VII box, so maybe they are the rare ones…

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