It probably doesn’t come as too much of a surprise to learn that here at Postcrossing we’re really interested in all things postal. There’s a fascinating topic in the Postcrossing forum about how people’s post offices look, allowing glimpses of how different it can be in different communities and different countries. We’ve asked some of the posters for permission to use their photographs, but you can check out the whole thread on the forum to see lots more!
It was difficult to choose which photos to include here, but in the end I thought I’d highlight some of the photos which show how different post offices can be the world over, from a little desk tucked into the corner of a local shop to a custom-built building just for the mail.
For example, in Hanna, Alberta (Canada) the entire town get their mail by coming to this post office building full of personal boxes. Jill (aka Borborhick) explained that it’s open 24/7, with a desk that’s open during the week for picking up and sending parcels, buying postage, etc.
On the other hand, here’s a little post office that’s set up in someone’s house, in Wales, UK. I didn’t actually know there were still any post offices in the UK like this, run from someone’s home, so this was an intriguing find for me. Mary (aka maripost) explained a little about about what it’s like: there’s one counter position, which is busy most of the time, and she knows most of her customers since she grew up in the village. It looks lovely!
Another lovely thing about the thread is the number of nice (and often old) buildings that post offices live in. Brenda (aka BrendaVR) took some lovely ones of her local post office in Ontario (Canada), the Walter Street Post Office. Here’s the one that first struck me, showing the entrance and a sort of mini clocktower at one corner:
Speaking of older buildings, here’s a rather classic-looking doorway of a post office in Oxford, UK! This picture was taken by Christine (aka travellingsheep). The building is from 1879, and I’d love to get a closer look at all that detail above the door…
My attention was also caught by a post from Thisura (aka TazocinWilson) in Sri Lanka, about the post office in his community, Cinnamon Gardens (a former cinnamon plantation). Established in 1905, Thisura called it a living museum, saying that the mail is still collected in leather bags, sorted by hand, and stamped by hand with ink (rather than a franking machine). The red brickwork against the white columns is a really pleasing look!
Contrast that with this more plain building spotted by Justyn (aka vireolanius) in the US…
Though in fact inside Justyn spotted a lovely detail: a quilt hung on the wall that says “Thank you for using Priority Mail”. It’s an unusual decoration, giving a surprisingly homey look to the inside of the building, but it looks really nice!
To close, here’s something a little different! Kanerva talked about the fact that Finland has very few actual post offices, and lots of “postal partners” where postal services are offered by corner shops, etc. There’s just one post office in Northern Finland, and that of course is Santa’s main post office, at the Arctic Circle! Kanerva took a few photos to show what it’s like.
One neat detail is these postboxes. One takes normal mail that can be sent anytime, but the other takes mail that will actually be sent in December (regardless of when you put it in the box). A nice way to set up a surprise for someone…
These are just a few glimpses of different post offices, so don’t forget to check out the full topic… and maybe add some of your own photos? We’d love to see!
PS: Just as Nicky was finishing preparing this post some weeks ago, a fire devastated Manila’s Central Post Office in the Philippines, an historical building over nearly 100 years old. An irreparable and tragic loss of a national landmark, and a part of Manila’s cultural heritage and history. 💔 Please cherish and use your local post offices! -Ana
26 comments so far
What a wonderful topic.
At the moment, in the GPO in O'Connell Street in Dublin, there is a wonderful tapestry on display in the public office. It is a tapestry which was commissioned to commemorate victims of the Holocaust and as an artistic protest against impunity for genocide and against all forms of racism.
The specially commissioned (4m x 3m) tapestry entitled "el holocausto" woven in Aubusson in France in 2019, is based on a fresco by Mexican artist Manuel Rodrigues Lorano created in 1944.
The tapestry will remain on display in the GPO until August before continuing its journey to other sites of memory and art around the world. This is the third display of the tapestry following exhibition at UNESCO in Paris in 2020 and in Mexico City earlier this year.
If you are visiting Dublin City over the next few weeks be sure to drop into the GPO in O'Connell Street, Dublin to see this work of art.
I loved visiting the local post office when I traveled through Europe many moons ago. They hold a certain charm. Thank you for sharing these photos.
Facebook has a page called “Post Offices around the World” I added a post office in Spain that Ana and Paulo showed me.
Will take more pictures of my post office when I'll visit next:)
Our post offices are normally crowded . Apart from various postage services, nowadays they handle bill payments for landline, Electricity, gas etc.
Post bank is also popular among public, as they offer very attractive rate of intrest and safety of funds.
We don't get many postcards but on certain festivals or important event a special postcard series are printed.
Post offices, what are they? In the Netherlands all postoffices are closed, transfered to gyms, bookshops, supermarket, hotels called Post Plaza. Maybe they have a counter where you can buy stamps and send parcels into the world. But a normal post office is gone, too expensive and still they raise the prices and lower the service. There are some bookshops, drugstores and supermarkets where you can buy stamps. They offer you the definitive stamps, as we say the Willempie or number stamps. Commemorative are difficult to get, a few days at the counters. That is one of the reasons commemoratives are hard to get, and you can't see them on letters and cards.
There is one post Office in my neighbourhood.. It is nice..But the problem is that is open till 5 p.m. on my work-hours and closed at the weekends. ☹
Thanks to all for sharing about their local post offices!
We are all so fortunate to have these buildings (old and new) where mail is collected, sorted and distributed and where the women and men workers keep the mail going.
Post offices also play an important social role. Our little village post office offers space for posters that inform about local events, as well as one often sees people chatting inside or outside.
Despite the many challenges faced during the pandemic ... mail continued to make it's way to our mailboxes.
So much to be grateful about Postal Services and the workers!
Loved seeing this! Very fun to see the different places for outgoing and incoming mail. We have some pretty rural post offices in Montana and absolutely love that a lot of them are the center of little communities.
While there are many quaint post offices in my state of Vermont, this local one features an amazing cherry blossom bloom in the month of May. See the amazing bloom here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RFec3xK_ksrifkyMGNVHHfoVCcrNLmiv/view?usp=sharing
Anne "Lex222"
Essex, Vermont USA
My post office which is in a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota is pretty nondescript. We had problems this winter where people kept jumping the curb with their car and would plow into the building and smash the wall in. This happened like twice in 3 months. It was crazy! :-)
Ana, just a correction. The Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) building was completed in 1928; only 5 yrs short of its centennial year. Other tidbit: it was designed by Filipino architects Juan Arellano and Tomas Mapua.
And to add, we really lost a lot when the MCPO burned especially the huge chunk of historical philatelic memorabilia as the management was building up the postal museum inside.
The cause of the fire was found to be the self-discharge of the car batteries in the basement storage room, that were stored along with office supplies, thinners and paint cans.
We are still hopeful that we could help in re-building of the MCPO.
According to post office records, Bangalore General Post office( GPO )was established here in the year 1862,
But the current building was built after the demolition of its British-era predecessor in 1985.
The new building was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi.
It is a well known landmark in Bangalore with its imposing five-storey's building
with traditional and modern architecture having a domed structure and a number of large pillars.
Always a pleasure to visit this post office to carry out my Postcrossing/Unesco card collection/Philatelic activity.
HiYa, I have no idea where our post office is. In the last years nearly all where closed and we are far away from bigger cities. So I am glad they still empty the mailbox in town ;) My stamps - I order them online and they deliver it the same way, my postcards fly out. Happy Postcrossing <3
@Kewl — thank you for the correction and the extra information!
There are times when I despair how far behind Japan is compared to other countries (34% of homes still have fax machines, 100% of businesses do), but one thing I do appreciate is the local post office. In my neighbourhood ward there are three within walking distance (one is just a minute away from my apartment), and even the basic ones offer services I can only dream about in other countries. I think it helps that the Japan Post Bank is used by many people in Japan, so it helps keep real post offices alive all throughout the country.
These are WONDERFUL. I love the Cinnamon Gardens Post Office AND TELEGRAPH. PRICELESS! Also Santa's Post Office is pretty awesome! Keep them coming!
My post office is a cute little brick building next to our city's typical Dutch Gable Roof buildings. (Can you tell the Dutch colonized and settled in this area around 1614 when this area of New York was called "New Netherland"?!)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/39758941@N06/9072434720
My neighborhood post office is inside a mall that's walking distance from my home. The room is plain with grey, white, and blue paint adorning the walls and the PHLPost logo at the center of the room.
Postal services are still ok, though I now have to go to a mall near the Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) if I want to buy special stamps.
To the Postcrossing team, thank you for the show of solidarity by writing a postscript about MCPO. Somehow I feel less alone in my grief over the loss of the beloved post office.
My small, local post office is within walking distance of my house. (Shout out to the wonderful employees there!)
However, I want to mention the famous General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin, Ireland. This is from Wikipedia: "The Easter Rising, also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an independent Irish Republic." One of the leaders of The Rising, Patrick Pearse (Pádraig Pearse in Irish) read the proclamation of the new republic from the steps of the GPO.
I love everything about Ireland, especially her history. I have been in the post office every time I've visited and it always gives me a chill. I also enjoyed the parade and other commemorations of the 100th anniversary of The Rising in 2016.
I would be interested in finding out about the historical roles of other post office's.
We almost lost our little post office, but a community pulled together to preserve it, and keep it open. Not only because of the need for it in our rural area, but for the huge piece of history it was to our region!!!!!
Great read: https://www.fox21online.com/2022/10/31/gordon-post-office-in-wisconsin-to-remain-open-after-original-plans-to-close/
Joy
Hahaha, in this forum i've put up the photo of my postoffice.
I LOVE this topic! I ALWAYS check out the post office wherever I travel. I went to a brewpub in Pullman Washington, USA, that was in a beautiful old postal building. And the pub owners hadn’t changed anything. The “General Delivery” window was still there, just as it had been. Of course, I’m a former mail carrier 💌
While we can get general stamps at most grocery stores and packing/mailling businesses, I like visiting my hometown post office, it was built in 1939 as a part of the New Deal. It was constructed from granite acquired from a nearby quarry. I'm grateful for everyone who works for the postal service - they endure quite a bit from irate customers to dogs to weather just to get me my postcards.
Here's a tiny glimpse of MCPO (Manila Central Post Office) before the massive fire incident:
https://community.postcrossing.com/t/what-does-your-post-office-look-like/110045/248?u=idontcollectstamps
My avatar is the main post office p.o. boxes in downtown Kenosha, WI. Some post offices still have plaques on the outside from when they were built and what president was in office. This one is from 1966 during Lyndon Johnson's era.
What fun! I wish I had seen this in time to share pix from some Shenandoah Valley (Virgina/USA) post offices, but I loved vicariously visiting these. I'm sharing this with the members of my Facebook group: The Art of the Heartspoken Note (https://facebook.com/groups/heartspokennotes).
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