Rare Victorian pillar box

If you ever wondered why a post box is sometimes called a pillar box, take a walk along Eton High St in Berkshire. There, next to a black and white half-timbered building that dates back at least to 1465, stands a slender Victorian letter box, fluted to look like a Doric column or pillar. This 1856 design was installed just a few years after postage stamps were introduced and is very rare - only a handful have survived. Decorated with the initials of Queen Victoria, it has a vertical slot and is still in use. (Apparently early boxes were painted green to blend in, but people kept walking into them.)