The Old Lady in Red
On the 29th of January Richard Wallace alerted some of us that one of our oldest
residents has had a serious accident - cause unknown. It soon becomes clear
that a bus was involved - leaving her lying on the pavement with a shattered leg
but otherwise not seriously damaged.
She had been standing on the pavement very close to the road and the roadworks
at that point had created narrow lanes making her very vulnerable to passing
traffic.
A police woman quickly arrived at the scene along with Go Folkestone’s resident
photographer, Giles Scholl. Giles commented “saving old pillar boxes was
probably not what she expected when she joined the force!”
The Post Office were advised promptly by the police and have given an assurance
that the “old lady” will be repaired and returned to the same location (opposite
Holy Trinity church) though at a safer distance from the road.
We seem to have been lucky as in a similar accident a few years ago, a box in
Worcester was shattered beyond repair. Our box is one of the hexagonal models
designed by JW Penfold in 1866 and produced until 1879 in three sizes with
various modifications. There are about 100 left - many in museums - but some,
especially in London and (until the 28th!) the one in Folkestone are in daily
use.
Irene Atherton
Article from Go Folkestone Newsletter March 2008
