Lovely shot of the Post Boxes outside Windsor Castle.
You might be familiar with the iconic red post boxes around Windsor Castle, but the most fascinating one is actually sky-blue, and it has a truly royal aviation backstory ✈️.
💙 The Sky‑Blue Airmail Box
- This special post box, bearing the royal cipher “GR” (for George V, who reigned 1910–1936), is painted in Air Force blue rather than the usual postal red and is one of only two such original airmail boxes left in the UK— the only one still in its original location is outside Windsor Castle. [placethewo…ogspot.com], [unusual-en…ogspot.com]
- These unique boxes were introduced in the 1930s for air mail letters—collection boxes dedicated to mail carried by aircraft. They featured an oval “Air Mail” sign and were spaced alongside red pillar boxes until 1938, when separate airmail boxes were phased out. [placethewo…ogspot.com], [unusual-en…ogspot.com], [sketchfab.com]
✈️ The Historic Airmail Connection
- The tradition dates back to 9 September 1911, when French aviator Gustav Hamel took off from Hendon aerodrome, carrying the first official UK airmail to Windsor. He landed in the Long Walk meadow behind the castle, just 23 minutes later—a symbolic gesture for King George V’s coronation. [placethewo…ogspot.com], [Cherie’s P…or Airmail]
- Hamel and other pilots flew 21 flights over Windsor between 9 and 26 September, delivering some 130,000 pieces of mail. Although the experiment wasn’t deemed reliable enough for routine airmail, it became a celebrated milestone in early British aviation. [placethewo…ogspot.com], [Cherie’s P…or Airmail]
🔒 Royal Cypher & Castle‑Specific Postmarks
- The Windsor Castle box carries the royal cipher “GR” under King George V, linking it directly to that era. [historianruby.com], [geograph.org.uk]
- Mail dropped here is uniquely postmarked with a “Windsor Castle” cancellation, making letters sent from this box collectors’ items. [gettyimages.co.uk]
