A RARE Victorian post box is being returned to Colchester, following its removal last year.

Colchester Civic Society has helped bring about a change of heart by Royal Mail, with the result the historic post box is to be returned to the town.

But it will not be returning to its previous location in Mersea Road, near The Grapes public house.

Instead it will be given a prime town centre position in High Street outside Superdrug where it will replace the current post box.

Bob Mercer, who leads for the Civic Society on planning and heritage, said: “While the society is pleased the post box is coming back to Colchester, and has not been destroyed as some had feared, we would have preferred it to have been restored to its original location.

“Royal Mail, however, say they are not prepared to do this but offered us High Street as an alternative.

"From the Civic Society’s perspective, having the heritage post box returned to Colchester is more important than not having it back.”

The post box is one of only two of its type which have survived in Colchester and they are rare nationally.

They are known as “anonymous” post boxes because they are the only ones which exist which do not have the cypher of a monarch featured as part of the manufacture.

Due to an oversight in 1879 a whole batch was made without the Royal cypher of Queen Victoria on them.

Last year Royal Mail removed the “anonymous” post box from near The Grapes Public House following a request from a developer who intended to build on a small site nearby.

But although the developer later withdrew the request, by then Royal Mail had removed the post box and declined representations for it to be returned there.

As a compromise, Royal Mail has offered to put the “anonymous” post box in High Street.

Mr Mercer added: “The Civic Society has expressed its appreciation to Royal Mail for agreeing to return the heritage post box to Colchester, and requested that the Queen Elizabeth II box it will replace should be used elsewhere in Colchester either as a replacement for one that may get damaged or on a new housing development where a post box will be required.”

No date has been given by Royal Mail as to when the “anonymous” post box will be installed.