Central Post Office, Nottingham

The Central Post Office in Nottingham was based on Queen Street from 1898 to 2019.

Central Post Office, Nottingham
Former Central Post Office, Nottingham
Central Post Office, Nottingham is located in Nottingham
Central Post Office, Nottingham
Location in Central Nottingham
General information
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival
AddressQueen Street
Town or cityNottingham
Coordinates52°57′14.6″N 1°9′00″W
Construction started1894
Completed1898
ClientPost Office
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry Tanner
DesignationsGrade II listed[1]

Early post offices

In 1799 Joseph Raynor was appointed the first postmaster in Nottingham and he had his post office on High Street. The post office didn't provide enough business as a full-time occupation so Raynor also ran a seedsman's business in his spare time.

In Spring 1831 the old post office building was pulled down[2] and the post office moved to a new building[3] in Armitage Place on the other side of High Street. Trade had increased and the office employed four people.

In 1834 the Post Office moved again, this time to Bridlesmith Gate.

St Peter’s Churchside
The new Post Office from the Illustrated London News 6 November 1847

On 14 October 1847 the foundation stone for a new post office was laid on the same site by the Mayor of Nottingham, William Cripps Esq.[4] Construction took longer than expected. In May 1848 it was reported that a hundredweight of lead was stolen from the construction site.[5] The new building was designed by the architect and surveyor to the Corporation of Nottingham, Henry Moses Wood[6]

Postal business was transacted here until December 1868.

Victoria Street
The former Central Post Office building on Victoria Street

In 1868 the Central Post Office moved into a new building at the top of Victoria Street.[7] The building had been designed by James Williams of the Board of Works.[8] It was designed as a Post Office, Telegraphic Office and Inland Revenue office.

The building was raised in 1883[9] by the architect Edward G. Rivers with the addition of a further floor.[8]

On 2 August 1884 three packages of explosives was discovered at the post office. This was confirmed by Colonel Vivian Dering Majendie, the Chief Inspector of Explosives, and the packages were removed and destroyed without any damage to the building.[10]

Queen Street

In June 1894 construction started on a new post office in Queen Street.[11] It was built in Ashlar in the Renaissance Revival Style. The contractors were T. Fish and Sons of Hermitage Mills, Hermit Street, Sneinton and the architect Henry Tanner of the Office of Works.[1] Without any formal ceremony it opened for business on 1 August 1898.[12]

In 1970 it was decided to move into a much smaller building which was to occupy a quarter of the existing post office site, and part of the existing building was demolished for its construction.

The rest of the building continued as the central post office until 1972. It then lay empty for 11 years until a £750,000 grant (equivalent to £2,692,300 in 2021).[13] was made available in 1983 for restoration of the building.[14]

Queen Street replacement building
Central Post Office building from 1972 to 2019

On 4 April 1972 the Post Office moved into the new building just to the north of the existing office which had been constructed at a cost of £300,000.[15]

Post Office business was transacted at the new Queen Street office until 2019 when it moved into W.H. Smith in the Victoria Centre.[16]

Postmasters

In 1845 the Postmaster was responsible for the delivery of 1,238,692 mail items. By 1847 this had grown to 1,589,212.[17] In 1873 the Postmaster oversaw the work of 30 letter carriers, 30 clerks and seven town receiving offices processing 6,760,000 mail items per year. By 1885[18] the number of people employed at the Central Post Office was 246 which included a postmaster, chief clerk, telegraphists, post-office clerks (70), stampers, sorters, letter carriers (110) and messengers, processing 14,040,000 mail items per year. The number of receiving offices was now 27.

List of Postmasters of Nottingham
  • Joseph Raynor from 1799
  • Mrs. Raynor until 1831
  • G.K. White until 1837
  • John Crosby 1837[19] - 1846
  • Octavius Thomas Oldknow 1846 - 1854
  • Thomas Robinson 1854[20] - 1873
  • William Edward Pratt 1873 - 1891[21]
  • Bernard Nathaniel Thoms 1891[22] - 1904
  • William Vincent Harnett 1904[23] - 1912
  • H.R. Telford 1912[24] - 1922
  • Arthur Sirrett 1922 - 1926[25]
  • George Pierrepont Cooper 1926 - 1928
  • Thomas John Hubbard 1928 - 1931[26]
  • Major Vincent Raymond Kenny M.B.E. 1931 - 1933
  • Albert Edward Squirrell 1933 - 1938
  • H.E. Cotton 1938 - 1945[27]
  • William Backhurst 1945[28] - 1948
  • Leonard Bishop 1948 - 1950[29]
  • Victor George Alfred Nash 1950 - 1956
  • William Reginald Trigger 1956[30] - 1961
  • Maurice William Andrews 1961[31] - 1969
  • Roy William Jewell 1969 - 1982
  • David Wilkins from 1982

References
  1. Historic England, "The Frontage (1270495)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 February 2023
  2. "The Post Office". Nottingham Review. England. 16 September 1831. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "New Post Office". Nottingham Review. England. 15 June 1832. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "The New Nottingham Post Office". Nottingham Journal. England. 15 October 1847. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Lead Stealing". Nottingham Journal. England. 26 May 1848. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Post Office Nottingham". Nottingham Review. England. 13 August 1847. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "The New Post Office, Victoria Street". Nottingham Guardian. England. 18 December 1868. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. Harwood, Elain (1979). Pevsner Architectural Guides. Nottingham. Yale University Press. p. 92. ISBN 0140710027.
  9. Historic England, "Imperial Building (1270418)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 February 2023
  10. "Attempt to Blow Up the Nottingham Post Office". Nottingham Journal. England. 7 August 1884. Retrieved 25 January 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "The New Post Office for Nottingham". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 11 June 1894. Retrieved 25 January 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Opening of the Nottingham New Post Office". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 6 August 1898. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  14. "Old Post Office work gets £750,000 grant". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 29 November 1983. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "New Post Office should cut the queues". Nottingham Guardian. England. 5 April 1972. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. Ram, Phoebe (6 May 2019). "City centre Post Office will relocate to WH Smith in the Victoria Centre this week". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  17. "Nottingham New General Post Office". Illustrated London News. England. 6 November 1847. Retrieved 12 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. "Nottingham Central Post Office". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 8 September 1885. Retrieved 12 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. "Post Office". Nottingham Review. England. 29 December 1837. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. "Post Office, Nottingham. Appointment of Postmaster". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 30 November 1854. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. "Death of the Postmaster of Nottingham". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 17 February 1891. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. "The New Postmaster of Nottingham". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 20 August 1891. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. "New Postmaster of Nottingham". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 23 January 1904. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. "The New Postmaster of Nottingham". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 19 November 1912. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. "Nottm. Postmaster's Promotion". West Bridgford Advertiser. England. 15 May 1926. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. "43 years' service". Nottingham Journal. England. 17 January 1931. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. "Nottingham Postmaster. Mr. H.E. Cotton to retire". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 17 January 1945. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  28. "Mr. W. Backhurst". Nottingham Journal. England. 22 January 1945. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. "Death of Nottm. Head Postmaster". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 6 October 1950. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  30. "New Postmaster of Nottingham". Nottingham Guardian. England. 10 January 1956. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  31. "Nottingham's New Postmaster". Nottingham Evening News. England. 25 October 1961. Retrieved 11 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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