Timeline | British Postal Museum & Archive

Timeline of Key Dates

Throughout the centuries, the basic practice of a messenger carrying mail from sender to recipient has remained virtually unchanged.

Choose a Century, Decade or Year to find out how Britain's postal service developed.

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Date	Text
Nov 18521852 - Pillar boxes trialled in Jersey	Anthony Trollope, the novelist and Postmaster, experiments with pillar boxes (post boxes) in Jersey. Image: Queen Victoria Channel Islands Pillar (OB1996.653)
Jun 18531853 - Pillar boxes installed on mainland	Anthony Trollope's pillar box scheme is extended to the mainland.
Apr 185511 April 1855 - Pillar boxes in London	Six pillar boxes are now available in London for the posting of letters. Image: Illustration of the first London post box
Jan 18561856 - London postal districts proposed	Rowland Hill proposes dividing London into ten postal districts to speed up mail delivery. The districts are based on the directions on a compass and customers are asked to write the postal district code on mail. Image: Map of the London Postal Districts, 1856 (POST 21/71)
Jan 18591859 - Letter delivery not always free	Delivery of letters to people's houses is currently not always free of charge. Free delivery depends on population size and proximity to an existing post town. However, by 1859, 93% of letters sent are not subject to a delivery charge.