Skelwith Bridge

Royal Mail postboxes are painted every three years and the turn of this one outside the Skelwith Bridge Hotel in the Lake District has come. They always looked intensely red and glossy when first painted. But this one is unusual because

 Post Box Number LA22 171

it has had its crown and cypher painted gold. Normally this embellishment is just painted the same colour as the post box and only painted gold when the postbox is historically significant. I have no idea what this ones claim to fame is, maybe it was one of the first George VI boxes to be installed (they used up the George the V boxes first so it was not until 1937 that the ones with his number on appeared).  Whatever the reason  it looks very striking.