Oxford post boxes: Charles III (2022–)
Only one Charles III post box has been spotted in Oxford so far. This is a lamp box on a pedestal installed in late 2025 at the Roundway in Headington (near Headington roundabout), replacing an Elizabeth II pillar box that was destroyed by a car.
A plate at the top reads ROYAL MAIL, and King Charles III's cypher is on a stainless steel plate below the posting slot. The cypher, which was designed by the College of Arms, is made up of his initial C, with the roman numeral III and an R for Rex (King) under a Tudor Crown. The King has granted the Royal Mail special use of his cypher, which is his personal property.
Lamp boxes were first introduced in England in 1896 and were designed to be attached to lampposts. Today they are usually on top of a metal pole, and are used at locations that don't need a large post box.
This particular type of lamp box (type LB3426) is made of cast iron and was introduced in 2012 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Robot pillar boxes arriving in the reign of Charles III
In October 2025 the Elizabeth II pillar box in St Clement's Street was converted into a futuristic robot box for posting parcels:
You press the button and scan the parcel label's barcode with the solar-powered scanner, and you are then able to open the drawer to insert the parcel. (Letters can still be posted in the usual way in the slot at the top.)
Throughout the UK, 3,500 pillar boxes are being converted in this way:
- BBC News, 27 August 2025: “Solar-powered postboxes being rolled out across UK”
Solar-powered boxes in operation in Oxford include those at:
Barton Village Road (top end)
Botley Road (near Alexandra Road)
Broad Street
Cutteslowe
Iffley Road
St Clement's Street
St Giles' Street, west side
Summertown shops.