This considerable building marked in large text with POST OFFICE over what was the main door appears to be currently only part-utilised and easily ignored but roll back 40 or more years and it was bustling with activity. You may remember the generous paintings that are now in the Town Hall were just inside this entrance as we queued for the counters to buy stamps, postal orders and National Savings stamps. Curious though it seems now, the Post Office also ran our telephone and telegram services back then. This is before mobile ‘phones, emails, faxes and most modern communications! As a nod to the past, there’s still the blacking off plate of a stamp machine alongside the posing boxes on the outside.
During Royal Regatta time they even had their own dedicated caravan down by the river to service the requirements of the many visitors, many of which were and are from overseas. There were Telegram Boys drafted in to run around hand delivering all these telegrams to the crews. Post Office motorcyclists on those old pop-pop smoky two-stroke BSA Bantams went to and fro from depot to Regatta to give extra special attention to their customers. I believe the Bantams were painted Royal Mail red and had the EIIR logo on their petroil tanks. They were popular single cylinder no-nonsense motorcycles and the regular versions were originally 125cc rising to 150 and 175 cc during their production in Reddich. They were probably available from Hammants in Bell Street back then.
I would be interested to hear from anyone who was involved in all this, or if any reader has a photograph of the old caravan or Bantam motorcyclists.
Leave a Reply