Anthony Trollope , a famous novelist , introduced post boxes to the UK in 1852 after seeing them in France . Royal Mail is to issue a set of stamps marking 200 years since the birth of Anthony Trollope – the Victorian novelist who also introduced post boxes to the UK in the 1850s . The limited edition sheet of stamps feature images of Trollope and his life , including the first post box design . Although famous as a novelist , Trollope also made history by introducing post boxes while working for the Post Office , after seeing them in France . The first boxes were erected in Jersey in 1852 as a trial before appearing across mainland Britain . They were initially painted green , to blend in with the landscape , but that was later changed to red to make them more visible . The new colour was introduced in 1874 and it took 10 years to repaint all post boxes . Red has remained the standard colour for UK boxes with only a few exceptions , one being blue post boxes for overseas mail . There are now 115,300 post boxes in the UK . Sue Whalley , Royal Mail 's chief operating officer , said : 'We are delighted to contribute to this year 's bicentenary celebrations of the birth of Anthony Trollope . 'He is well known as a former Post Office employee and we have him to thank for introducing pillar boxes to the UK . 'Whether in walls , on poles or freestanding , the network of post boxes has grown from Trollope 's time to reach around over 115,000 boxes which are now an iconic feature of communities across the UK . ' The stamps honour the first post box in the UK . Today there are 115,300 post boxes . Red has remained the standard colour for UK boxes with only a few exceptions , one being blue post boxes for overseas mail . A celebration of history : Sue Whalley , Royal Mail 's chief operating officer , said : 'We are delighted to contribute to this year 's bicentenary celebrations of the birth of Anthony Trollope ' Limited edition : Royal Mail is to issue a set of stamps marking 200 years since the birth of Anthony Trollope . The sheet of stamps feature images of the novelist and his life , including the first post box design .
Anthony Trollope introduced post boxes to the UK in the 1850s . The Victorian novelist saw them in France while working for Royal Mail . Initially the post boxes were painted green to blend in with the landscape . The limited edition sheet of stamps feature images of Trollope and his life .