July 2, 2010
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Surprising report on postbox preservation
Our friend at 長春社 gave us a heads up on an article in a newsletter published by the Commissioner for Heritage's Office. What is very surprising is it says "[t]he Commissioner for Heritage’s Office is in discussion with Hongkong Post to find ways to preserve a total of nine post boxes dating back to the colonial era." (p.6, http://www.heritage.gov.hk/tc/doc/Heritage_Issue_13.pdf )
It doesn't explain what exactly it means by preservation. Are only 9 out of the existing 61 to be preserved? Or are they given special treatment, like having a information plague explaing its history by its side, while the rest will still be retained?
I have now fired away two letters to express my concerns (in my own name but implicitly on behalf of our Search Team), the first to SCMP and the second to the Commissioner for Heritage, with copies to Antiquities and Monuments Office and Hongkong Post.
Let's hope they are going to retain all the 61 old beauties!
Letter to SCMP
Wrong Direction in Postbox Preservation
I referred to my correspondence with Hongkong Post regarding preservation of historic postboxes on this page back in February (Letters to the Editor, SCMP: my first letter, 11 February, Hongkong Post's response, 18 February, my second letter, 24 February). In my last letter, I pleaded for the Hongkong Post to adopt a more preservation-minded policy and urged the Antiquities and Monuments Office to get involved .
I was therefore naturally delighted when I saw this title of an article in the No.13 June issue of Heritage, a newsletter published by the Commissioner for Heritage's Office: "Preserving Streetside Heritage Through Old Post Boxes". However, when I read on it was more disappointment than joy, as it reports "[t]he Commissioner for Heritage’s Office is in discussion with Hongkong Post to find ways to preserve a total of nine post boxes dating back to the colonial era."
It would put the whole preservation exercise to shame if indeed only 9 out of the current
existing 61 old colonial postboxes (apparently the figure 47 provided by Hongkong Post in its letter of 18 February 2010 on this page was wrong; an updated list by me could be found at
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AhbXpNwnjON2dEpHbElGRTVMMTJKQXVvNlp3NTBHcGc&output=html
).Especially worrying is the possibility that the preservation of these 9 old boxes will be viewed by Hongkong Post as a license to put to death the other 52 - either through active replacement or quiet deterioration due to lack of maintenance. This suspicion is not ungrounded as about 2/3 of the 144 old boxes that still existed in 1997 have already been removed. In fact, Hongkong Post explained in its 18 February letter that deterioration was one of the two reasons to retire old boxes, the other being insufficient volume capacity.
We might indeed do well in this preservation exercise to learn from the UK. Since 2002 Royal Mail has collaborated with English Heritage to retain and conserve all of its 85,000 post boxes in England. A few points from "Letter Boxes: A Joint Policy Statement by Royal Mail and English
Heritage" are highlighted:a. all boxes are to be retained in operational services in their existing positions;
b. the conservation officer of the local planning authority must be consulted if any problems arise with regard to individual boxes;
c. postboxes must be repainted at least every three years - and more frequently in some cases, e.g. coastal area where abnormal level of deterioration occurs;
d. all paint must be lead-free and of the correct specification (Royal Mail red, colour ref no. 538 BS381C and Black, colour ref no. 00E53, BS4800);
e. Letter boxes should be washed regularly to ensure a smart appearance. Special arrangements may be necessary for boxes that are sited on busy roads where dirt can accumulate quickly.These boxes have a high visibility and must be kept as clean as possible.The above points are all highly relevant to the local situation. Especially illuminating is their commitment to retain all their 85,000 boxes. This shows our proposal to preserve only 9 of our own 61 old postboxes up badly!
Furthermore, it could be suggested for Hong Kong that the old boxes should be repainted into their original red and black colours and in case of insufficient capacity another mailbox should be erected alongside the older box instead of removing the latter permanently. Also, more active maintenance and repair than just repainting should be accorded to some of the old boxes.
One good example of what could be achieved by committed and professional maintenance and repair is the Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island KGV postox. In its 18 February letter Hongkong Post maintained that that box, due to "serious internal rusting which caused extensive structural damage and even prevented the door hinges from functioning properly", was beyond repair and had to be scrapped. It is understood that in May Hongkong Post had changed its position and sought assistance from the Architectural Services Department to repair this box. The restored box is now reinstalled in its original position, actively serving the Sok Kwu Wan community again.
One however must hope that that box was extended this privilege not only because it is one of the chosen 9!
Sin Wai Man
Letter to Commissioner for Heritage, with copies to Antiquities and Monuments Office and Hongkong Post
Dear Sir/Madam,
I refer to the article "Preserving Streetside Heritage Through Old Post Boxes" in 活化@Heritage Issue No. 13 June 2010, published by the Commissioner for Heritage's Office (p.6, http://www.heritage.gov.hk/tc/doc/Heritage_Issue_13.pdf ).
The article reports "[t]he Commissioner for Heritage’s Office is in discussion with Hongkong Post to find ways to preserve a total of nine post boxes dating back to the colonial era." It would put the whole preservation exercise to shame if indeed only 9 out of the current existing 61 old colonial postboxes (3 of these 61 boxes, strangely, seem unaccounted for in the old postbox list provided by the Hongkong Post - they are respectively at Sun Tin, Kam Tin and Sha Tau Kok Post Offices and all are ERII wall boxes - a updated list maintained by me can be found at
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AhbXpNwnjON2dEpHbElGRTVMMTJKQXVvNlp3NTBHcGc&output=html
).Especially worrying would be the possibility that the preservation of these 9 old boxes will be viewed by Hongkong Post as a license to put to death the other 52 - either through active replacement or quiet deterioration due to lack of maintenance (this suspicion is not ungrounded as about 2/3 of the 144 old boxes that still existed in 1997 had been removed and indeed Hongkong Post had explained in correspondence with myself that deterioration was one of two reasons to retire old boxes, the other being insufficient volume capacity; please refer to my correspondence with Hongkong Post in the Letters page of SCMP on 11, 18 and 24 February 2010).
We might indeed do well in this preservation exercise to learn from the UK. Since 2002 Royal Mail has collaborated with English Heritage to retain and conserve all of its 115.000 post boxes. A few points from "Letter Boxes: A Joint Policy Statement by Royal Mail and English Heritage" are highlighted:
(http://www.helm.org.uk/upload/pdf/Royal%20Mail%20Letter%20Boxes.%20A%20joint%20policy%20statement%20by%20Royal%20Mail%20and%20English%20Heritage_2002.pdf
)a. all boxes are to be retained in operational services in their existing positions
b. the conservation officer of the local planning authority must be consulted if any problems arise with regard to individual boxes
c. postboxes must be repainted at least every three years - and more frequently in some cases, e.g. costal area where abnormal level of deterioration occurs
d. all paint must be lead-free and of the correct specification (Royal Mail red, colour ref no. 538 BS381C and Black, colour ref no. 00E53, BS4800).
e. Letter boxes should be washed regularly to ensure a smart appearance.Special arrangements may be necessary for boxes that are sited on busy roads where dirt can accumulate quickly.These boxes have a high visibility and must be kept as clean as possible.The above points are all highly relevant to the local situation. I would also suggest the old boxes should be repainted into their original red and black colours and in case of insufficient capacity another mailbox should be erected alongside the older box instead of removing the latter permanently. I further understand that Hongkong Post had sought assistance from the Architectural Services Department to restore a KGV pillar box in Sok Kwu Wan which it had previously considered so deteriorated to be beyond repair. The same service seems also urgently required by a few boxes I have surveyed, e.g. No.370 Tai Mong Tsai Bus Terminal
(http://hkpostbox.xanga.com/726268615/%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2%E9%9A%8A%E5%9B%9E%E5%A0%B1---%E9%83%B5%E7%AD%92370/
) and No.232 Stage II, Hing Wah Estate, Chai Wan
(http://hkpostbox.xanga.com/725717009/%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2%E9%9A%8A%E5%9B%9E%E5%A0%B1---%E9%83%B5%E7%AD%92-239/
).I totally agree that the old colonial postboxes are a part of our heritage and I sincerely hope the concerning departments will preserve all existing 61 colonial post boxes, instead of only 9 as reported.
Yours faithfully,
Sin Wai Man (Mr)
