Letter box help

[Rich-l]

Hi,

I need some help indentifying the type of letter box in my Edwardian front door so I know what terms to use for an online search. I am having the glass in my door emcapsualted and I am using this as an opptunity to strip and repaint it. I would also like to restore / replace the letter box which I assume is original to the door. It has been painted over so probably will need a full replacement. However, I cant find anything similar and as I don't know the name of the style of letterbox, I can't search for it directly. Can anyone on here help. The internal hole in the door is 200mm x 50mm but the acutal full letter box is top-hinged and is 257mm x 165mm and features a protruding frame that the letter box flap rests upon and then a further external frame that surrounds the flap. I honestly cant find anything like it. ?

Also, if anyone has any tips on gently removing the layers of paint off the existing one to reveal what was underneath, that would be a huge help too

 

[Cubist]

That's a bog standard pattern commonly installed and used in the late 20C. It's constructed from anodised brushed aluminium and would have had a brass like finish, like the inner flap. over the complete body. It's certainly not Edwardian in design and the pattern is still available for sale albeit manufactured in UPVC these days. Best way to strip the paint would be to remove the inner and outer elements from the door and use a chemical paint stripper - perhaps repeatedly - using a scraper or even a fine wire wool as needed. PPE for hands and eyes ia advisable.

 

[Stevers]

It's a lot bigger and more convenient for the postie than your average period letterbox.

Somewhat hard heartedly, I swapped out our tiny cast iron 'Letters' box that was completely original (from 1879) and that matched both knocker and knob, for a much larger solid brass one, a change that our then postie commented on and thoroughly approved of.

 

[LadyArowana]

Broughtons of Leicester have a great range of door furniture, this is their “letterplates” range https://www.broughtons.com/store/category/30/263/letter-plates/ . If you want an original one then places like e.bay or salvage yards often have them ( and as noted above they tend to be smaller than modern ones ) Below stairs of Hungerford https://www.belowstairs.co.uk/acatalog/Door-Knockers---Letter-Flaps-.html usually have a nice selection of old pieces, they desribe them as “letter flaps”. When I replaced a front door I got an original Edwardian one and although it’s smaller than the modern ones I haven’t found it to be an issue, Long gone are the days of big bundles of paper arriving by post and a daily delivery of a newspaper. I think a front door is like the face of the house and it’s worth spending a bit of money on nice door furniture and having someone install everything even if it is extra work and expense, For draught proofing you might need an additional “letterbox tidy” which is the flap that covers the back