AN original Edward VII postbox to honour Sir Rowland Hill has been installed outside Kidderminster Town Hall as part of the Exchange Street refurbishment.

The new Exchange Square has been transformed by a unique paving design to reflect Sir Rowland Hill's Penny Black stamp. Record stack seating new to the Rowland Hill statue is also a nod to the musical heritage of the town.

The Edwardian postbox has been refurbished by Royal Mail in its 500th anniversary year and is a replacement for the one which was removed in the square to make way for the new paving being laid in the public areas of Kidderminster.

Councillor Tracey Onslow, Wyre Forest District Council cabinet member for planning and economic regeneration, said: "As part of the public realm regeneration development, feedback from residents reflected our aspiration to highlight Kidderminster's heritage, so this formed part of the brief to the designers.

"Last year (2015) was the 175th anniversary of the Penny Postage, the work of Sir Rowland Hill, born in Blackwell Street in 1795.

"We felt that designing the Penny Black imagery into the new paving was a striking and lasting way of paying tribute to Sir Rowland Hill and his contribution to our postal system."

Colin Hill, chairman of Kidderminster's Heritage Opportunities Group, said: "It is great that we have a mailbox in keeping with the heritage theme and we are keen to further develop this theme throughout the town."

Karen English, process and collections director for Royal Mail in the Midlands, added: "Kidderminster has played a hugely influential role in the development of Royal Mail as we know it today.

"We are delighted to see this important piece of the town's heritage restored to its rightful place at the heart of the redeveloped Exchange Square."

The district council has also recently installed the Penny Black imagery on the finger post in the square near the town hall, as a further heritage feature.