Spotting post boxes has gone from a nerdy passion to part of her business for Two For Joy greeting card publisher and illustrator Louise Richardson, as she’s now incorporating them into her designs.
After going viral back in the summer with her social media rant about the “shoddy craftsmanship” of the first Charles III post box to be unveiled, Louise realised she should put her passion to good use, admitting to a birthday treat visit to London’s Postal Museum to check out old designs.
“Incorporating my love for post boxes, I’m illustrating some of my favourites and, when they feature on a card, where some will be more subtle than others, the back of the card will feature a little fact file about that style of post box.
“At the moment it’s just on spring seasons but I’m working on everyday and birthday collections right now.
“With over 115,000 post boxes across Britain, each one quietly holds a piece of our history. Once you start learning about them, spotting post boxes can become a delightful discovery! Through my illustrations and fun facts, I hope to encourage others to pause, notice, and appreciate these familiar icons we often pass by.”
Describing herself as a post box enthusiast, Louise loves spotting them around the country and working out how old they are by the royal cyphers, and she’s built up a reputation, with her Instagram page often tagged when customers and publishers find old boxes both in the UK and across the world.
Louise added: “It fascinates me that some of these boxes have been stood there for 100 years, and I like to imagine what life in the community was like when that post box was first being used.”
