Where is my nearest post box?
OK, so I’m lazy; I want to drop off a load of letters with a minimal amount of effort.
Now, for some bizarre reason, Royal Mail don’t have a Post Box finder on their site. All I can find is this page, which states:
Nothing could be simpler than dropping your mail into one of our Postboxes. There are 115,000 Postboxes nationwide, so wherever you find yourself, there’s one not too far away.
Cute. But why can’t you tell me how “not too far away” one is! You can tell me where my nearest Post Office is, so is it really that much more of a stretch to give me the closest postbox?
I wonder if there’s a social-networking-type website that maps out Post Boxes? I’m envisioning a Google Maps mash up type thing! Hmmm…
Update: Matt Bryce has created PostBoxr to help you find your nearest postbox. See his comment below for more details. I’ve added two post boxes in Cambridge already 
Belinda Rainbow said,
17 March, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I agree! Especially because some post boxes have last mail collected at different times. I’ve been trying to find out where my latest/closest one is for mail I want to send off today.
Tom Le Mes said,
23 May, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Me too! Sort it out Royal Mail, can’t be that hard – share the data!
Matt Bryce said,
30 June, 2008 at 10:55 am
This is question I asked myself and couldn’t believe that RM didn’t offer this feature on their site. I have had a go myself using Google Maps and Mysql. You can search for a postbox within a radius of miles, Browse the whole database and most importantly contribute to the database adding your known postboxes to help other people find their nearest postbox. Any comments or suggestions visit the blog or email contact@postboxr.co.uk
Thanks
Matt
http://www.postboxr.co.uk
Phil Wiffen said,
30 June, 2008 at 11:15 am
Matt, that’s awesome. I was thinking of doing something very similar but knew I wouldn’t have the time to maintain/nurture it! I’m pleased someone’s taken up the task
Mishka said,
12 August, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Thank you, this is an excellent, helpful, and very sociable idea. I hope more people contribute, and quickly. I came to this site to see if I could find a postbox nearer to me than the nearest one I know of, but the two posted on the site are farther away, so I’ll go to the one I know. I just wanted to say that there is a postbox on Trinity street, more or less opposite Trinity College/St. John’s in Cambridge. I’m reluctant to add it myself because I’m not brilliant with computers and websites and I might mess it up. Perhaps Matt could add it if he has the time?
Thanks, and good luck,
Mishka
jim bob said,
30 September, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Nice idea mate, shame theres been little response…couldn’t find one for miles in exeter.
you never know, this may take off in a big way once word gets round…you should get sponsored off google
peace
p.s note to mishka, tis a peace of piss to add a postbox, trust i’ve added several
Abi said,
29 November, 2008 at 10:42 pm
See also http://www.dracos.co.uk/play/locating-postboxes/, using the Royal Mail’s own list of every postbox in the UK. Last collection times included where known.
micky said,
7 January, 2009 at 11:07 am
One problem with yours matt i dont live in london, i live in sunderland is there not any post boxes up here lik?
Alex said,
22 January, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Great idea, helps me a lot with my job!