It is a convenience being able to just go to the end of my road to post something (and I use the mail as little as you), rather than traipsing around looking for somewhere. And next time you see a post van emptying a box, you’ll be surprised at the amount of mail that’s still in there.

Actually, I think you’re right. We will see fewer post boxes in the future. But that’s more because postal services have been opened up to competition since the start of this year. This might mean that London to Birmingham post becomes cheaper as FedEx, DHL or whoever enter the market, but London to the Shetlands becomes much pricier. The post office has to find savings, and rural boxes would be the first to be reduced. Mind you, like when the buses were first open to competition, we might find more, not fewer, post boxes on metropolitan high streets.

(Incidentally, Wilkie Collins was a contemporary of Anthony Trollope, who’s credited with having introduced the red pillar box in the UK. And they’re both buried in the same place – Kensal Green Cemetary)