From: Narrowboat Chalkhill Blue – Cruising Diary:
“This box was made by Machan of Denny in Scotland and this style of box was made from 1998. It is a modern replica of the original hexagonal Victorian boxes designed by JW Penfold in 1866. It has the VR cipher therefore we count these boxes within our VR box collection.
It is box number SW11 16 and can be found on Battersea Square in Battersea, London SW11.
It was spotted by Steve on 30 October 2019.”
From the Survey of London (“Battersea High Street area”):
“… ‘Rather quiet for business’, noted the Inland Revenue valuer in 1915, apropos shops on the south side (of Battersea Square), which included dining rooms, a barber’s and an upholsterer’s.
Today the dominant building on that side is Ship House, comprising (No. 34) the former shop and offices of the Victoria Granaries behind, dating from 1890–2, and (No. 35) the new granary which in 1907 replaced the cottages mentioned above. The oldest is No. 32 adjoining, formerly the Bricklayers’ Arms beerhouse (in 1861 the General Garibaldi), probably rebuilt or refronted in the mid nineteenth century. Cotswold Mews is a late- 1980s conversion and redevelopment as shops and business units of the former Cotswold Laundry, originally built c.1914, latterly a plastics factory; the now-remodelled building fronting the square dates from 1937. West of this are five early 1880s shops built for Jesse Nickinson by William and Thomas Saker. Of these, Nos 20 and 22 were run by Caius College Mission in the late 1880s as Gonville House, serving cheap meals.”
Julia Upton 