Post Offices
| Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:13 Chris Downer |
Like all things in life, post offices come in all shapes and sizes, although the size of the network is increasingly downwards. There were around 20,000 post offices in the UK at the end of the 1980s, but this dwindled and dwindled throughout the 90s. The suburban network was slashed by a third in the spring of 2004, and nationally 2,500 branches are closing in 2008, bringing the total down to around 12,500. Firstly, some big town-centre branches, many of which are instantly recognisable by their architecture:                         These are increasingly being removed from the premises they have occupied for decades and franchised to other high-street stores, notably WH Smith, such as at: Galashiels   Gillingham   Ayr  and Sheffield  |
|---|---|
| Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:13 Chris Downer |
Next, some suburban sub-post offices:                 |
| Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:15 Chris Downer |
A few village offices, typically combined with a general store:                                |
| Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:15 Chris Downer |
And then, some of the tiniest post offices, serving a very isolated or small community. These often open just a few hours a week and sometimes housed within other public buildings – you will see a village hall, a church and a couple of pubs among these, as well as someone’s kitchen, front room and garden shed:                            |
| Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:16 Chris Downer |
Once the post office has closed (or moved), particularly in villages, it is often apparent decades afterwards that a building used to be it – many have postboxes set into the wall which are still in operation:               This is only a small selection of post office-related images on this site – a recent search returned 2,806 with ‘post office’ in title or description – so feel free to add your own! |
| Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:26 cmm1234 |
 Enfield Post Office, although still in the same building, has a mini supermarket and the Post Office is smaller with a different layout and is at the back of the shop Lower Coombe Post Office, Teignmouth, run by family friend in the 1960s |
| Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:01 glacio |
The remotest Post Office in Britain as it was in the 1960s. It doubled as a shop. On my visit, there was only local butter and Royal Embrocation for Horses. Otherwise totally bare. Location. Foula in the Shetland Islands. |
| Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:00 Chris Downer |
It is likely that, once the post office is closed, the shop that it is within will also close, as in this before-and-after example:  |
| Sat, 5 Jul 2008 15:48 Laverock |
Edit: moved to discussion thread |
