CRAWLEY POST OFFICE AND TELEPHONE EXCHANGE (1928)
15-17 High Street
Architect: David Dyke Year: 1928 Archive sources British Postal Museum & Archive: POST 118/631 (photograph) National Archives: WORK 13/985 History Opened June 1928 Suffered bomb damage 4 Feb 1943 Converted to public library use Demolished 1994/1995 Building description Sourced from Sussex History Forum The new Post Office at Crawley will be opened within a few days and the occasion will mark a memorable step in the history of the town. It occupies one of the finest sites in the High Street, immediately facing the Westminster Bank, but by its height and spaciousness it dwarfs its immediate surroundings. The building is four stories high in front and is centrally heated throughout. Beneath the pavements and northern corner of the building are large cable rooms and the usual engines connected with the heating. The Public Office is a handsome room with up-to-date fittings. Two stamp machines are fitted in the outer wall near the posting box, so that stamps can be obtained at any hour. The counters for the writing of telegrams are of the latest design, and the same can be said of the telephone kiosk. The telegraph messengers' room is at the north end of the office. The Sorting Office is a spacious one with large skylights with special fittings for ventilating purposes. Here the staff will be able to carry out their duties with greater ease and comfort. Special fittings for lighting up the individual benches will make for speed in preparation. All the latest fittings and "gadgets" have been introduced into this room. The dining room and kitchen are adjacent. The remainder of the ground floor is occupied with the engineering departments' various, tools and instruments, together with lavatories, garage, cycle sheds, etc. On the next floor are the Postmaster's room, the telephonists' retiring room, the telegraph room, the telephone room, offices for inspector and linesmen, and various store rooms. The caretaker's rooms are on an upper floor. The yard provides ample room for the storage of vehicles and cycles, and in future all branches of the G.P.O. will be under one roof. |