Introduction
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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.
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| 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.
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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
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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.
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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:
Staff who worked for the GPO were sometimes referred to as 'God's Poor Orphans'.
An Introduction to the
Post Office
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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.
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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.
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Postal HQ
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Post Office Counter Services
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Royal Mail
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Post Office Savings Bank
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Telecoms HQ
Follow, the history of Post Office Telephones on the link below...
Post Office
Telephones
Telegraph Act of 1868 authorised the Postmaster-General to acquire the inland
telegraph services
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Pillar boxes, poles, kiosks and cabinets, the Post Office was
once responsible for them all!
The name, Post Office Telephones was
used until about October 1969 when the Post Office ceased to be a government
department.
Photo: LSA
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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.
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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.
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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:
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Post Office
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Royal Mail
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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...
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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'.
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Post Office
Counters
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Post Office Counters, the public/retail face of the Post Office.
In 2006, Post Office Ltd is the current trading name for the
counter services which are still a part
of everyday life...
Photo by Java Jane
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The Post Office Savings
Bank
Including Savings Accounts, Premium Savings Bonds (ERNIE), and Savings
Certificates.
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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...
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The GPO Film
Unit
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Producing well known classics such as 'Night Mail' the
GPO Film Unit was established in 1933.
'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 just some of the films made by the GPO and its successor
The Post Office...
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National
Giro
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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.
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HMSO - Her Majesty's Stationery
Office
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'Supplied for the Public
Service' was the watchword printed on many S.O. (Stationery Office)
products. Namely that the notebooks etc 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... |
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Books
The Post Office by Nancy Martin. Dent 1969.
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Mail by Rail:
A history of the TPO & Post Office Railway, by Peter Johnson (1995).
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Links
Bath Postal Museum - Situated
within the building from which the world's first postage stamp
was sent, it includes information on key people in history who shaped
the UK's postal system. As well as an excellent philatelic section, the museum
encourages schools participation and is recommended for a visit if you are
in the area.
Colne Valley Postal History Museum
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This way to visit the Colne Valley Postal History Museum which houses
the largest private collection of GPO letter boxes in mainland UK.
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Grimsby Delivery
Office - Royal Mail history by Steve Parrott.
Royal Mail Groups -The Official
UK sites of: Royal Mail, The Post Office and Parcelforce.
The British Postal Museum &
Archive
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When the former National Postal Museum (NPM) closed to the public in 1998
it combined with the Post Office Archives to form the Heritage unit of Royal
Mail. In 2004 this unified archive and museum service became an independent
charitable trust. This new trust officially received a donation of the former
NPM object collections, and took responsibility for managing The Royal Mail
Archive (Public Records) on behalf of Royal Mail Group plc.
More...
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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) at
www.lbsg.org -A lively new site exploring
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 new (April 2008) 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.
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