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No. 9 Church
Street
In August, 1860, when CHARLES S.
WRIGHT was appointed Sub-Postmaster, the Post Office was moved to 9, Church Street, where
it served that purpose for 103 years until 1963. The Wright family were in charge for 53
years of that period. Charles Wright (1832 - 1876) was the first. No.9 had been a bakery
since the early 1800s and Mr.Wright carried on the business of the bakery and a
grocer’s shop in addition to his postal duties. A billhead of 1865 in the
churchwardens’ accounts has ‘C.S.Wright, Post Office, Baker, Agent for Needles
and Horniman’s Tea. Post Office Savings Bank — Open 9 to 5.30’ The Post
Office Savings Bank was established in 1861.
Mr.A.J.Gwinnett has a photograph taken in 1865, showing Mr. Wright standing at the door of
No.9 and postmen standing on the foot path.
The allowance to the postmaster for
extending the walk of the Haselor letter carrier to include Billesley, Walcote and Upper
and Lower Oversley was increased from five to nine shillings a week (Post Office
Archives) A daily delivery of letters mail was established in Alcester in 1869. In
1870 a petition was sent by the towns people for the introduction to Alcester of the
telegraphic system now in the hands of the Government. Telegraphic communications were
commenced shortly afterwards and there was a single line to Stratford and telegrams could
be sent from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Also in 1870 Alcester
Chronicle reported that a mail cart had been attacked at Bromsgrove. At that time the mail
from Birmingham and the North to and from Alcester was carried by mail cart, leaving
Alcester in the evening and returning from Bromsgrove in the early morning. A contemporary
account says, ‘The man’s object in stopping the cart, it is surmised, was
robbery, which was probably frustrated by the horse’s restiveness' . Thomas
Rountree was the carrier contracted to carry the mail.
Charles Wright died in
December, 1876, aged 45. His wife, Mrs.C.C.Wright, took on the post until May, 1890, when
her son, JOHN C WRIGHT, was appointed. During his time the grocery and bakery department
was closed and the office was open solely for postal business. On August 1st, 1883, the
Parcel Post was officially inaugurated. The Post Office agreed to pay 55% of postage paid
on parcels to the railway companies, retaining 45% for themselves. In Alcester in 1886
parcels closed at 10.30 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. (Spennell's directory)
In the early 1900s the postal
facilities had been greatly extended. As well as mail, money orders, telegrams, post
office sav ings, express deliveries, annuities and insurance were transacted. Mail arrived
5.37 a.m., 11.35 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 6.10 p.m. There were four deliveries per day 6.30
a.m., 11.40 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. The mail was despatched at 8.55 a.m., 10.35 a.m.
and 1.35, 6.50 and 8.05 p.m. On Sundays the mail arrived at 5.37 a.m., despatched 6.50
p.m. The office was open 7- 10 a.m., the telegraph office open 8 - 10 a.m. (Kelly's
Directory ) Letters and cards were delivered on Christmas Day; this practice
continued until 1959. Postage rates were a penny for a letter and half penny for a
post-card. These rates continued until 1915.
About 1910 the provision of a
telephone service for Alcester was considered. The provision of a trunk service was stated
to involve the erection of a line from Evesham which, with the necess ary exchange and
call office apparatus, would cost £731. 24 sub scribers had undertaken to rent lines and
the provision of these circuits would cost about £500; an additional sum of £20 was
needed to be spent on structural operations at the post office. It was estimated that
there would be a loss of about £8.10.0 p.a. in the beginning; but the work was put in
hand.(Evesham Journal 1966) The Parish Council in March,1912, decided to approach
the postal authorities for a continuous telephone service at Alcester.
Mr.John Wright died suddenly
in August, 1913, and was succeeded by Mr R.J.F.Smith who had previously been employed at
the Redditch Post Office. Mr.Aubrey Gwinnett recalls his father tell ing him that the news
of the outbreak of the First World War was received at the Alcester Post Office and that
Mr.Smith nailed a notice on the door of Alcester Parish Church, this being the first
intimation that hostilities had broken out.
Mr.Smith remained for nine years before taking a post in Cheshire. He was succeeded
by MR. G. W. BLAKEMAN in 1922, the last postmaster to live at No.9, Church Street.
In the 1920s and ‘30s the Post
Office counter faced the front door on opening. In front of it was the telephone exchange
on the right below the window: on the left hand side was a public kiosk and at the back of
the letter box was a chair on which the telegram boy sat; he was not allowed to go behind
the counter.
Owing to the increasing amount of business, the whole front of the ground floor
accommodation was made into a larger office and the telephone exchange was removed to the
first floor, which had been adapted for its use. The caretakers lived on the floors above
and attended to the telephone exchange over night.
In March, 1938, National
Safety First Diplomas were presented to Edgar Rymell and Walter Bennett, postmen-drivers.
These were the first to be gained by drivers at Alcester Post Office. The presenter
testified to the general driving abilities of the officers and said they were perhaps more
exposed to traffic accidents than any other members of the community. They were on roads
in all weathers, day and night, and each driver covered many hundreds of miles each year (Alcester
Chronicle)
Need was felt, however,due to
the still greater increase in business, especially at rush periods such as Christmas, for
much greater extension. Premises were bought at 36, High Street and work put in hand to
build a completely new, efficient and convenient office. The exterior design was much
criticised by local people, who had not been consulted.
© John Donaldson 1988 - Alcester & District Local History Society