John Penfold

John Wornham Penfold (3 December 1828 – 5 July 1909) was a surveyor and architect born in Haslemere, Surrey where he is also buried. The house in which he once lived, "Penfolds", is still to be found near the centre of the town.

Penfold served his articles with Thomas Talbot Bury and Charles Lee between 1845 and 1850. He subsequently worked for William Burn, before striking out to his own practice at Charlotte Row, Mansion House, London in 1854.

Penfold designed the hexagonal British post box in 1866, now known as a Penfold box.

Trivia In the cartoon series Danger Mouse, Danger Mouse's sidekick is named Penfold after J. W. Penfold, since the duo's secret hideout was in a post box in Baker Street. However, Danger Mouse and Penfold's hideout was not a Penfold box, but an Anonymous box.

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