Light Straw's GPO History

Light Straw's GPO Pages

Recalling the history of the General Post Office...

When I was about 10 years old, I was fascinated by a library book by Nancy Martin. It was 'The Post Office, From Carrier Pigeon to Confravision'. My father worked for the Post Office as a Telephonist and so the 'GPO' played a very important part in my formative years.

Here are a few pages dedicated to the memories of the British Post Office, a solid reliable institution, in the days before privatisation and competition.

Book: The Post Office by Nancy Martin - From Carrier Pigeon to Confravision. (Dent 1969).

Introduction

Today the logo of the General Post Office (GPO) survives as a trade mark of Royal Mail Group, and the letter delivery service remains as important now as it was when the Post Office was founded, way back in the 17th century.

The GPO logo is a trade mark of Royal Mail Group

The General Post Office (GPO) was once a key communications provider of postal and telephone services, which also operated government backed savings accounts. Surprisingly, the services offered in the early 21st century are remarkably similar, but the organisation has changed many times over. 'Light Straw's GPO Pages' attempt to capture the spirit of the bygone times and to recall just some of the history behind a mainstay of the British way of life.

Early Beginnings

In the seventeenth century, the 'royal mail' was literally messages and letters which were couriered exclusively for the royal family. In 1635, King Charles I allowed the public to use the 'royal mail' and subsequently this developed through various acts of Parliament into the service which we know today.

The General Post Office

An Act For The Setling Of The Postage Of England, Scotland and Ireland.

AN ACT FOR THE SETLING OF THE POSTAGE OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND and IRELAND.

At the Parliament begun at Westminster the 17th Day of September, Anno Domini 1656. L O N D O N: Printed by Henry Hills and John Field, Printers to His Highnefs the Lord Protector. 1657.

In the Post Office Act of 1657 (seen opposite), Oliver Cromwell's Parliament, decreed:

...from henceforth there be one General Office, to be called and known by the name of the Post Office of England.... And one officer.... under the name of Post Master General...

Thus the first Postmaster General was John Thurloe. However, Charles II disputed Cromwell's laws and so the Post Office Act of 1660 was passed to legally recognise the formation of the Post Office.

Organisation

Keeping up with the name changes becomes increasingly difficult as modern day practice uses more outsourcing and third party business agreements!

The General Post Office, or simply the GPO as it was more affectionately known, was once responsible for running both the Postal and Telephone Services of the UK and in 1950 was structured something like this:

General Post Office

Post Office Counter Services
Royal Mail
Post Office Savings Bank
Post Office Telephones

Staff who worked for the GPO were sometimes referred to as 'God's Poor Orphans'.

An Introduction to The Post Office

An Introduction to the POST OFFICE - A training booklet December 1959.

This handbook is to welcome you into the Post Office, to give you a general idea of its varied and widespread activities, and to show you briefly, how best you can contribute your share in its service to the public. You will know from your own experience how much better such service is if it is smartly and cheerfully given. You will now have many opportunities to play your part in this way both as an individual and as a member of a team..

Throughout the 1960s, the Post Office was still a government department, part of the Civil Service, but on 1st October 1969 it became a public corporation (nationalised industry). The telecoms part of the business was still very much under Post Office control, but the separate divisions of Post Office Telecommunications and Post Office services had their own headquarters, THQ and PHQ.

Postal HQ

Post Office Counter Services
Royal Mail
Post Office Savings Bank

Telecoms HQ

Post Office Telephones

Follow the history of Post Office Telephones on the link below...

Post Office Telephones

The Telegraph Act of 1868 authorised the Postmaster-General to acquire the inland telegraph services.

Pillar boxes, poles, kiosks and cabinets, the Post Office was once responsible for them all!

Here is a brief study of key dates, changes in name(s) and branding as the telephone business has evolved.

Photo: Pillar box, pole, kiosk and cabinet © Light Straw Archive

During the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the Post Office continued much as before. The major changes going on in the organisation were perhaps not noticeable to the public until 2001, when a completely new name was adopted...

Consignia

On 26th March 2001, the government owned Post Office became a plc (public limited company) and with it came the controversial change of name to Consignia.

The name is based on the word "consign". "To consign means to entrust to the care of - which is what each of our customers does every day," said The Post Office's chief executive John Roberts.

The new name was not popular in the UK and eventually, on 4th November 2002, was changed to Royal Mail Group plc. Thus the long established and well known names of 'Post Office' and 'Royal Mail' could continue.

Royal Mail Group plc

The Consignia group which was transferred to Royal Mail Group in 2002 was made up of the following trading units:

Post Office
Royal Mail
Parcelforce Worldwide

And the current businesses can be found at | www.postoffice.co.uk | www.royalmail.com | www.parcelforce.com |

Royal Mail

Letter delivery, Mail by Rail, the Post Office Railway, TPOs and more...

On 1 May 1840, the first stamps went on sale in Britain and over the years the sending and delivery of letters and parcels has continued to grow as the Post Office has provided an essential public service. Despite its difficulties the Post Office has always found new and innovative ways of ensuring that the demands of its customers are met, by a combination of road, rail, and air transport, supported with new technology.

The Postal Service really is 'The Real Network'.

Photo: Twin oval pillar boxes © Light Straw Archive

Post Office Counters

Post Office Counters, the public/retail face of the Post Office.

In 2006, Post Office Ltd was the current trading name for the counter services which are still a part of everyday life...

Photo by Java Jane

Post Office Savings Bank

Including Savings Accounts, Premium Savings Bonds (ERNIE), and Savings Certificates.

On 16th September 1861 the Palmerston government set up the 'Post Office Savings Bank' - a simple savings scheme aiming to encourage ordinary wage earners "to provide for themselves against adversity and ill health".

Take your savings to the Post Office Savings Bank...

The GPO Film Unit

The GPO Film Unit was established in 1933 and over the years became renowned for pioneering the production of classic documentaries.

'Night Mail' (1936) was produced by John Grierson with verse by W H Auden. This early documentary featured the Postal Special's nightly run from London to Scotland.

Here we investigate some of the films made by the GPO and its successor the Post Office...

Booklet: GPO Film Unit, video catalogue.

The Central Office of Information

The Central Office of Information had close links with the GPO as a government service and the Office produced recruitment material for the public telephone service.

The poster opposite is from an earlier time when the Ministry of Information was responsible.

Image: Poster from the World War II campaign (1939) "Keep Calm and Carry On". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On_Poster.svg

National Giro

National Giro was set up by the Post Office in 1968, and was an initiative of the Labour government to provide banking facilities for those people who did not have bank accounts. The process was overseen by the politician Tony Benn the Postmaster General.

Image from a 'plastic statements folder'- Light Straw Archive.

HMSO - Her Majesty's Stationery Office

'Supplied for the Public Service' was the watchword printed on many S.O. (Stationery Office) products. Namely that the notebooks e.t.c., were for use by government departments in the public service(s). The telephone side of the GPO was a public service until it was privatised (as British Telecom) in 1984.

The Post Office in its many guises is a public service which is gradually being opened up to competition. Her Majesty's Stationery Office was responsible for the printing and distribution of many publications a well as sundries for use within the government. Part of HMSO has been sold off and is now simply TSO - The Stationery Office...

Image: S.O. Book 616 - Supplied for the Public Service.

Links

Bath Postal Museum

Explore the history of the post and of the British postbox, or read the biographies of key figures in the development of the Post Office. As well as an excellent philatelic section, the museum encourages schools participation and is recommended for a visit if you are in the area.

British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA)

British postal services helped to shape the modern world. The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) works to make this human story of communication, industry, and innovation accessible to everyone.

The Archive has a fascinating range of books, printed papers, postcards, posters and sundries all relating to postal history throughout the decades.

Colne Valley Postal History Museum

This way to visit the Colne Valley Postal History Museum which houses the largest private collection of GPO letter boxes in mainland UK.

Grimsby Delivery Office - Royal Mail history by Steve Parrott.

Royal Mail Groups -The Official UK sites of: Royal Mail, The Post Office and Parcelforce.

Light Straw's GPO Pages - Follow this link for the current version, if these pages have for any reason been archived.

The Letter Box Study Group (official website) -Explore the world of (mainly UK) letter boxes.

On Mike's Railway History pages you'll find an interesting article The Post Office Tube which details, the little known underground railway.

Mailrail.co.uk is an unofficial site, but packed with information and photos. Recommended...

Malcolm Smith's Post Box Pages - See his wonderful photographic record of the many types of letter boxes.

Nairnshire Modelling Supplies - Nigel Burkin takes contemporary railway modelling one step further with his comprehensive on-line shop.

Paul's Unofficial Letterbox Pages (PULP) - For all those interested in the study of Letter Boxes.

The Post Office Vehicle Club - Preserving Post Buses, recording vehicle numbers and keeping the heritage alive.

Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand -The premium international society for collectors of the stamps and postal history of New Zealand and her Dependencies.

Design, images and text compiled by © Light-Straw. Page last updated 5th January 2011.

All logos and trade marks are the property of their respective owners and are used on the Light Straw site(s) for review only. Students and researchers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information contained therein.