A post box on Queen’s Promenade in Douglas near Piccadilly Court has been significantly damaged during the efforts to refurbish the promenade.

According to the Letter Box Study Group (LBSG) the pillar post box appears to be from Edward VII’s reign and is one of three in the island.

Post boxes of this type and age are quite rare - according to figures from LBSG and Historic England, there are 996 in the UK as a whole, out of a total of more than 115,000 pillar, wall, and lamp boxes.

Geoff Rickard, general manager mails, confirmed that the Isle of Man Post Office had granted permission for two post boxes to be removed from the promenade during the building work, under the understanding they would be safely returned upon the work’s completion - at which point they would be repainted to restore them to a high standard to allow them to fit in with their upgraded surroundings.

Auldyn Construction - the contractor overseeing the Douglas Promenade Refurbishment scheme - told the Courier: ’Auldyn Construction worked with Isle of Man Post Office in removing the two post boxes on Douglas Promenade.

’Unfortunately during the removal, the post box was damaged on Marathon Terrace, due to its age and condition.

’Auldyn will work with the Isle of Man Post Office to mutually agree a satisfactory way forward.’

Given the extent of the damage and the post box’s age, it could be difficult and costly to restore to its former glory.

In the past, the Post Office has put several decommissioned post boxes up for auction.

In July 2019, more than 40 post boxes in pillar box, pole and wall-mounted form and in varying degrees of condition, dating back to the Victorian era, Edward VII, George V and VI through to Queen Elizabeth II, went under the hammer at Chrystals Auctions, with one fetching more than £5,000.