mailbox design

Last summer we bought the very last large copper mailbox that the much beloved Smith & Hawkin sold... ever. The story of how we acquired this little beauty is here.

I immediately began a hunt for the perfect post for the box. I didn't find anything that I liked last Fall, and since the ground freezes here in the winter I mentally put the project on hold. With the arrival of Spring I have been diligently looking for inspiration on-line, and when we go for drives around New England.

Nothing.

Then.... a couple of weeks ago Dan found in our stone and rock quarry (yes, we literally have our own small quarry going- I'll post about it soon) an antique granite gatepost original to our property.

Perfect!

We are at the design stage. What that means is I design, and then Dan has to figure out how to turn my design into reality!! This is never an easy job since elements are usually antique, and were never meant to go together!

Here are the mailbox design elements:

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This is the granite gatepost- it is over 7 feet tall.


Another view of the gatepost. This is the side the mailbox will be placed on.


A few days after we found the mailbox I remembered this antique iron lantern arm that we found in our antiquing years ago. We have learned that if something speaks to you, buy it. You will generally find a use for it! It fits perfectly under the mailbox, and will act as a support bracket.


Here is the mock up I did, with the help of Dan and the tractor!
It's laying on the ground, but it really gives the idea of what it will look like when installed.
The part of the iron "bracket" that extends beyond the mailbox door will be trimmed to fit under the mailbox. You can see the old iron bolt at the top of the granite.




Opposite side view of the mailbox. From this side you can see the old iron hinge for the gate.

The use of a granite post as a mailbox holder is a common sight in New England (New Hampshire is the "granite state" after all!), but the posts are generally newly cut, perfectly square and smaller in scale. Due to the snow plowing in the winter you see lots of damaged mailboxes that get hit by the sanding truck. For obvious reasons you don't see them hitting granite post mailboxes, so that's a plus!!

I'll post photos when Dan completes the assembly and install!