EXETER POST OFFICE (1850)
83/84 Queen Street
|
Year: 1850 Listed building status Grade II Selected bibliographical references Western Times 21 October 1848, p. 5; 11 May 1850, p. 6; 26 Jul 1851, p. 5 History Opened: 6 May 1850 Closed: 1865 Current use: Retail premises |
Building description
From: Western Times 21 October 1848, p. 5
We are glad to see that the preparations for building the new Post Office are making some progress. This work is a private speculation of Mr. William Hooper, just as the Plymouth post office was the private speculation of certain parties in that town, we believe. The city has long been dissatisfied with the present Post Office, which is a disgrace to the district. The inhabitants complained of it, and the government said in reply to their murmurings —What will you Exonians subscribe in aid of a new building ? The Exonians said —Nothing. The government did just as much, and the matter remained in abeyance. At last, Mr. W. Hooper, in a straight-forward business way, said—l've a site in Queen-street, and Til build you a satisfactory office, if you will pay four per cent, on the outlay, provided one or tfto other public bodies will take part of the site. The Stamp Office authorities and the Bankruptcy Court agreed to join, and the result is that we shall have a commodious Post Office in the Queen-street, and Mr. Hooper will get a good and permanent tenant on the site of what is, at present, an unsightly ruin. The plans have been submitted to the several parties for approval. The Post Office is to pay £80 per annum, the Stamp Office the same. These two Offices are to be on tbe ground floor—the entrance being in the centre. There will be a covered passage dividing them, which will run into Gandy-street, and under the shelter of this passage the correspondent will find five or six boxes, into either of which he may drop his letter. There may be, for aught we know to the contrary —an indoor office for money order business, where people may pay and receive over a counter as they do in some other towns of equal civilization. The Bankruptcy Court will occupy the first floor, and the assignees' offices will be a stage higher, in order that Messieurs, the learned assignees, may take their fees to the tune of " such a getting up stairs." This arrangement gets over the difficulty in which the old city found herself, and it is to be anticipated that before the Royal Agricultural Society make their visit, there will be a Post-office worthy of their confidence —and that the outward appearance of the place will at least justify that feeling.
From: Western Times 11 May 1850, p. 6
The new post office was opened on Monday, for public business. It is an elegant building, and in comparison with the old a perfect Paradise for the officials. The work does great credit to Mr. William Hooper, who deserves commendation for the spirited manner in which he has gone through with it. It is true that it was a commercial speculation — no one, of course expected it to be otherwise — but it is a speculation carried out with a certainty of no very great amount of profit, and in a liberal spirit towards the public. The convenience will be considerable to the city, both as respects the situation and the approaches to the office — but in one respect we think there has been a want for consideration for the commercial interests of the city, which is certainly not chargeable on Mr. Hooper, or his son. The Money Order Office is a department of the public service, highly appreciated, and will, we hope, become profitable to the country, whatever it may be at present. Of its convenience to trade there can be no doubt whatever. In this new Post Office, the money-order department might have been placed within doors; and the banking business might have been transacted under shelter and over a counter, apart from the gaze of spectators, and with the visitor screened from the tremendous ventilation to which he is now subjected. This amount of shelter and accommodation was not however permitted; the money order business must be transacted at a monster pigeon hole in the most draughty passage in Exeter, in the eight of every bystander, and in the hearing of any wayfarer who may be curious in matters which don't concern him. All this might have been avoided, but it has not been. The business to be transacted in broad day-light, must be done in the fresh air, and in the sight of any pilferer who may watch the unprotected female as she receives her slender dividend, and cut her pocket as she turns the corner to invest the proceeds in the market opposite. A time may come, perhaps, (because we hear on all sides that there is "A good time coming” though nobody seems to have fixed the date of this second advent) — when public servants will consider their master, the public, as deserving of some consideration; in which case the aforesaid public servants will themselves not fall into public disrespect — as they now seem to fancy they may do, if by any stretch of courteous consideration they should lower the prerogative of office, and condescend to a consideration of the convenience of the common people. The successful attempt to make the great postage concerns of this nation a mere penny matter, hath been a heavy blow and sore discouragement to the old school bureaucracy. To compel it to do banking business is terribly to make them come down. This is the reason why, perhaps, they feel entitled to administer the money order department, just as charitable people distribute their soup through a grating, and in the eyes of the world at large.
We are glad to see that the preparations for building the new Post Office are making some progress. This work is a private speculation of Mr. William Hooper, just as the Plymouth post office was the private speculation of certain parties in that town, we believe. The city has long been dissatisfied with the present Post Office, which is a disgrace to the district. The inhabitants complained of it, and the government said in reply to their murmurings —What will you Exonians subscribe in aid of a new building ? The Exonians said —Nothing. The government did just as much, and the matter remained in abeyance. At last, Mr. W. Hooper, in a straight-forward business way, said—l've a site in Queen-street, and Til build you a satisfactory office, if you will pay four per cent, on the outlay, provided one or tfto other public bodies will take part of the site. The Stamp Office authorities and the Bankruptcy Court agreed to join, and the result is that we shall have a commodious Post Office in the Queen-street, and Mr. Hooper will get a good and permanent tenant on the site of what is, at present, an unsightly ruin. The plans have been submitted to the several parties for approval. The Post Office is to pay £80 per annum, the Stamp Office the same. These two Offices are to be on tbe ground floor—the entrance being in the centre. There will be a covered passage dividing them, which will run into Gandy-street, and under the shelter of this passage the correspondent will find five or six boxes, into either of which he may drop his letter. There may be, for aught we know to the contrary —an indoor office for money order business, where people may pay and receive over a counter as they do in some other towns of equal civilization. The Bankruptcy Court will occupy the first floor, and the assignees' offices will be a stage higher, in order that Messieurs, the learned assignees, may take their fees to the tune of " such a getting up stairs." This arrangement gets over the difficulty in which the old city found herself, and it is to be anticipated that before the Royal Agricultural Society make their visit, there will be a Post-office worthy of their confidence —and that the outward appearance of the place will at least justify that feeling.
From: Western Times 11 May 1850, p. 6
The new post office was opened on Monday, for public business. It is an elegant building, and in comparison with the old a perfect Paradise for the officials. The work does great credit to Mr. William Hooper, who deserves commendation for the spirited manner in which he has gone through with it. It is true that it was a commercial speculation — no one, of course expected it to be otherwise — but it is a speculation carried out with a certainty of no very great amount of profit, and in a liberal spirit towards the public. The convenience will be considerable to the city, both as respects the situation and the approaches to the office — but in one respect we think there has been a want for consideration for the commercial interests of the city, which is certainly not chargeable on Mr. Hooper, or his son. The Money Order Office is a department of the public service, highly appreciated, and will, we hope, become profitable to the country, whatever it may be at present. Of its convenience to trade there can be no doubt whatever. In this new Post Office, the money-order department might have been placed within doors; and the banking business might have been transacted under shelter and over a counter, apart from the gaze of spectators, and with the visitor screened from the tremendous ventilation to which he is now subjected. This amount of shelter and accommodation was not however permitted; the money order business must be transacted at a monster pigeon hole in the most draughty passage in Exeter, in the eight of every bystander, and in the hearing of any wayfarer who may be curious in matters which don't concern him. All this might have been avoided, but it has not been. The business to be transacted in broad day-light, must be done in the fresh air, and in the sight of any pilferer who may watch the unprotected female as she receives her slender dividend, and cut her pocket as she turns the corner to invest the proceeds in the market opposite. A time may come, perhaps, (because we hear on all sides that there is "A good time coming” though nobody seems to have fixed the date of this second advent) — when public servants will consider their master, the public, as deserving of some consideration; in which case the aforesaid public servants will themselves not fall into public disrespect — as they now seem to fancy they may do, if by any stretch of courteous consideration they should lower the prerogative of office, and condescend to a consideration of the convenience of the common people. The successful attempt to make the great postage concerns of this nation a mere penny matter, hath been a heavy blow and sore discouragement to the old school bureaucracy. To compel it to do banking business is terribly to make them come down. This is the reason why, perhaps, they feel entitled to administer the money order department, just as charitable people distribute their soup through a grating, and in the eyes of the world at large.
