The Poetry Postbox

What is the Poetry Postbox? 
The Poetry Postbox is a wrought iron postbox at the Poetry Seat by the side of Backstone Beck, located on the Ilkley Moor section of the Stanza Stones trail.  

The postbox was commissioned in 2013 and installed so that poems could be written and shared by people walking the Stanza Stones trail or admiring the view at the Poetry Seat. Poems are posted through a ‘poems in’ slot on the top of the box and drop into a chamber within a wheel mechanism. Turning the handle on the side of the box turns the wheel mechanism and releases a poem written by an earlier user out of a the ‘poems out’ slot. It’s a wonderful, magical concept. 
 
It’s not there now. Why? 
Unfortunately, early on in the life of the postbox it became apparent that while it works in optimum conditions, these are hard to achieve in an unmanned location, only accessible by foot, high up on a Yorkshire moor side. Poems get stuck in the chambers very easily. If the paper they are written on is too thick or if the paper gets wet due to rain or condensation it can jam. If a crisp packet or half-eaten sandwich are ‘posted’ into the box, the mechanism will get stuck (sadly, this happens fairly often!).  
 
The postbox was designed to be weathertight to protect the internal mechanism. The downside is that there’s no easy way to access the chambers and remove objects causing blockages. As a result, the postbox has been out of working order for long periods of time over the years. The more poems that are posted in during that time, the more jammed the wheel becomes. 

The original Stanza Stone Trail concept intended for all the elements built into the remote locations of the Pennine landscape to be hardy enough not to require regular, frequent maintenance. Hence, no arrangements or provisions were made for the regular dismantling and emptying of the ‘poetry post box’.  

Over the years, this task has fallen informally to Bradford MDC’s Countryside team and the volunteer members of the Friends of Ilkley Moor. In conversations with these parties over a considerable time, it’s become clear this isn’t a satisfactory or sustainable situation. All parties are keen for a practical long-term solution to be found: one that either removes the necessity for regular monitoring and maintenance or makes the postbox easier to use and more accessible. 
 
The postbox has been removed from the Poetry Seat for specialist inspection to determine root causes of the maintenance issues and potential solutions. While this work is being undertaken, the siting within the Poetry Seat will be made good, allowing for reinstallation later. 

When will the Poetry Postbox return? 
We don’t know yet. Updates on progress will be posted here when we have them. 
 
Is there a possibility it won’t come back? 
Hopefully not. However, it cannot be reinstalled in its current form without modifications to solve the ongoing maintenance issues. We’ll share updates here when we have them. 
 
How much will those modifications cost?  
The cost of redesigning and remaking the internal mechanism is estimated to be in the region of £4,000. This is based on the original costs, adjusted for inflation.