GR was used in the British Isles [what is now the UK and Ireland] during the reign of George V [1910 – 1936].

A few years ago I published a photograph of what I thought was an unusual wall mounted letterbox [Post Box Wall Type G V R by W&T Allen London] at 11 Morrisons Quay In Cork. This year [May 2022] I could not locate the Post Box on Morrisons Quay maybe because the area is effectively a building site. However I later discovered a well maintained GVR pillar box at the junction of College Road and Gaol Walk.

My original comment in 2017 read as follows: I do not remember seeing this type of letter box before so I assume that there are not many remaining. Described as an early twentieth-century cast-iron wall-mounted post box with raised G.R. insignia, set into the façade of 11 Morrison’s Quay.

“In accordance with the decision of Cork City Council on the 28th day of May 2007, the following structures were added to the Record of Protected Structures included in the Cork City Development Plan 2004.” The letter box in my photograph is one of the structures added to the list.

Construction work has commenced on a €45m hotel and office development at Morrison’s Island, kickstarting a a major overhaul of Morrison’s Quay. The development will include a 6,800 sq m 187-bedroom Premier Inn with offices in one ground-floor section, as well as the full refurbishment of Nos 11, 12 and 13 Morrison’s Quay as high-quality own-door office buildings, whose protected 19th century facades will be conserved.

The development area is approximately 8,500 sq m, which takes in numbers 9-14 Morrison’s Quay, 5-5A Fitton St, 1 Keeffe St, and adjoining lands backing onto Catherine St and Keeffe St.

Nos 11, 12, and 13 Morrison’s Quay will be at the centre of the development, with two new five storey hotel blocks book-ending these buildings.

As a matter of interest there is an interesting bridge on Gaol Walk: Single-arch road bridge, built 1835, carrying road over River Lee. Segmental arch having margined channelled ashlar limestone voussoirs, cut-stone string course with dressed stone blocks to parapet having segmental-coping and tooled bands. I will discuss this in a future post.