Royal Mail stamp of Armagh Observatory features on Postbox in Armagh

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Armagh Observatory, 4 June 2015:

A special plaque illustrating a stamp that was part of a special set of astronomical stamps issued in 1990 celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Armagh Observatory was unveiled today on a postbox in Armagh to mark the 50th anniversary of Royal Mail's Special Stamps programme.

In 1990, Royal Mail issued a set of four astronomy stamps to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Armagh Observatory and the centenary of the British Astronomical Association. Armagh's special stamp plaque was unveiled on the postbox close to the bottom of the Observatory Drive and the Royal Fusiliers Museum, Mall East, Armagh, BT61 9DL. This is one of 50 special stamp plaques that are being installed on postboxes throughout the UK. Each plaque features one of the most popular stamps, each of which has a special connection with the UK city, town or village in which it is located.

Other stamps on postboxes include Winston Churchill, Bagpuss, Dylan Thomas, Robert Burns, the Giants Causeway, York Minster and Sherlock Holmes. It is hoped that the special Armagh Observatory stamp will attract attention and admiration from locals and tourists alike.

Unveiling the new stamp plaque in Armagh, Professor Mark E. Bailey, Director of the Armagh Observatory, said: This is a great honour for the Armagh Observatory, Northern Irelands oldest scientific institution, and recognition too for the position of the City of Armagh as a centre of research, education and learning over many hundreds of years. As the Observatory celebrates its 225th anniversary as an international research institute, it is most appropriate that this special stamp should be among the most popular of those issued in the last 50 years.

The stamp recognizes Armagh's important contributions to worldwide astronomy and related sciences, and more generally the strength of Northern Island's astronomical heritage and that of the British Astronomical Association. The image on this special postbox celebrates the 50th anniversary of Royal Mail's special stamp programme, whilst providing a further fascinating addition to the City of Armagh's programme of public art, and an important contribution to the Observatory's programme of science and community outreach.

Eamar OHagan, Royal Mail Delivery Office Manager for Armagh added: The UK's towns and cities have influenced stamp designs over the past 50 years. We are proud that one of our postboxes in Armagh features a stamp of the Armagh Observatory that was issued in 1990. We hope that all our customers and visitors to Armagh enjoy this special stamp plaque and might even take a photo as a memento.

The Royal Mail modern stamp programme has featured a total of 2,663 Special Stamps since July 1965, and every new stamp design is approved by Her Majesty The Queen before it is issued. The special stamp programme has mirrored the changes in society and culture at large.

Details of all the special stamps issued over the last 50 years can be found at: http://rmspecialstamps.com/?utm_source=postbox&utm_medium=postbox&utm_campaign=postbox

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Mark Bailey at the Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG. Tel.: 028-3752-2928; FAX: 028-3752-7174; E:meb@arm.ac.uk; URL: http://climate.arm.ac.uk/; and Morag Turnbull Deputy Head of External Relations, Royal Mail Press Office, Tel: 078-0109-2364; E: morag.turnbull@royalmail.com; 24 hour Press Office

Further Reading

A full press release from the Royal Mail can be found here

Images of first-day covers from these stamps can be found HERE and HERE and HERE

An article from the Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Vol. 100, 5, 1990 on the NASA Astrophysics Data Systems gives descriptions of all the stamps here

Ian Ridpath hosts a collection of Astronomical and astronomy-related postage stamps from the British Isles. Further descriptions of the 200th anniversary of the Armagh Observatory issue can also be found here

Last Revised: 2015 June 9th