Pillar boxes are very British - but did you know that these red post boxes can tell you about the history of the British monarchy, from Queen Victoria to the present day?
Within a kilometre of Queens Cross you can see many red pillar boxes - take a stroll around the area to enjoy the granite grandeur and the whimsical Victorian design as well as spotting post boxes.
Read on for tips of where to find them. A few clues are provided for the rarer examples and locations.
1. Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
Victorian era wall post box
Victorian pillar box
Royal mail began in the Queen Victorias reign and she was on the throne until 1901.
2.King Edward VII (1901-1910)
Edward VII pillar box
There are lots of examples of this type of pillar box in the area.
3. George V (1910-1936)
Fountainhall Road postbox
There is one very close to Queen's Cross, on Fountainhall Road beyond the Co-op.
4 Edward VIII (1936)
Edward VIII pillar box on Desswood Place
Distinctive 1936 design of Edward VIII pillar box
A rare pillar box (this one can be seen on Desswood Place at the corner of Whitehall Road). Edward was only king for a few months and abdicated before the coronation in 1936, in order to marry divorcee Mrs Simpson. It is a very clear and distinctive design.
5. George VI (1936-1952)
George VI wall box
Only one example near Queen's Cross and it's a wall box (pity about the graffiti).
George was king during the Second World War. You may remember him as Colin Firth in The King's Speech.
5. Elizabeth II (1952-Present)
The tube box model is a horrible design but the crown is clear
Elizabeth I postbox with Scottish Crown
Two good examples in the area. But what has happened to the initials?
After Elizabeth came to the throne many people in Scotland objected to the title Elizabeth II, as Elizabeth I had not been Queen of Scotland. The new pillar boxes displayed a ER II, but a post box in Edinburgh was set on fire and there were other acts of vandalism to post boxes.
In recognition of this, new pillar boxes in Scotland displayed the Scottish Crown. It is different to the crowns on all the other postboxes .
Want to know more about the Scottish Crown Jewels? If you are not going to Edinburgh to see them in the castle, try Dunnottar Castle. There is a great story to be heard about the Scottish Crown Jewels and much more - only 15 miles south of Aberdeen.
