P h o t o B l o g

Wednesday 2 July 2008

No More Queues


This location will have been very familiar to generations of Ashton's residents, who probably spent quite a lot of time queuing here over the years.

For this is the interior of the former Post Office on Warrington Street, which is currently undergoing a complete renovation. All of the Post Office paraphernalia has been removed and the space will eventually be home to retail units and a coffee bar. The doorway on the right led to one of the porches and entrance doors.

The large object in the foreground on the left is the safe that was once housed in a strong room at the back of the Post Office. The photo below shows where the strong room was. The steel-reinforced walls took 4 days to demolish!

7 comments:

  1. Did they have a bugler to sound the last post when they closed it?

    Went in WH Smiths at just after 9 am yesterday, nine counters plus the foreign exchange staffed and really bad queuing. And the PO could not make it pay! (I do not beleive them)

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  2. How many years was there a Post Office there? It must have been there for ages. We never spoke of it as the Post Office it was always known as 'The General' Why can't a town like Ashton with 50.000 odd people have its own PO? Here in Cheltenham they recently closed the main PO in the town centre and moved it to the first floor of WH Smith. What will happen when the lift is out of order and the elderly and infirm can't access it?

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  3. A big post office in our town was totally changed into a factory outlet called "Stamp", for garments and such things like that. Post office in our ITB campus was also closed, and now it's used for joint cooperation office. Is it because people prefer to use internet to communicate? Well, yes, and maybe no.

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  4. I think it's really sad when post offices close. I did protest about the one in Ashton closing on behalf of my elderly father. Rural post offices fulfil much more of a role as a mmunity focus. When you see the amount and variety of business that P.O.s transact then you have to wonder at the economics.
    Here in Stratford the main post office is tucked away at the back of a Co-op supermarket so you have to negotiate the aisles of cornflakes to reach the queue for the post office AND there is always a queue!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Our local Post Office now has longer hours. I popped in to buy stamps from the automatic machine and was flabbergasted that even after 6.00pm the counter was still open.

    The Warrington Street Post Office alway holds fond memories for me. Every Wednesday I'd meet my dad there at noon and get my thrupence spends.

    The very last time I ever set foot in there was the second week of January 1991. It's funny how you remember certain dates and places.

    Finally about the location of current Post Offices in stores around Britain. Their placement is designed to have you walk through the entire store on the very likely hood that you will pass something on the way and buy it.

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  6. The loss of post offices will hit communities hard in Warrington. They are vital assets for many local people and closing them will cause many difficulties for older people and others with mobility problems, in particular.

    ReplyDelete

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