Old Post Office

After several centuries of using ‘post horses’ or coaching inns from where mail coaches left the town, a properly designated building was finally introduced and allocated as a Post Office. The first of these was in Dew Street in 1804 and after a series of relocations to different sites in the town, this building became its home in 1875.

It had been sited originally at no. 10, just next door in 1868 (and which incidentally was originally a three storey building) but after seven years it was transferred here which, to add further confusion, had originally been one storey less than it is now.

The ever bigger expansion was required to cope with the increase in telegrams, telephone usage and ownership and the fact that more and more people were learning to read and write and were writing letters.

The Post Office remained here until 1936 when it moved to Quay Street. (Sadly a further move was deemed necessary from that fine building due to the use of emails and texts and the Post Office is now in smaller premises in Bridge Street.)

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