Coventry Post Office

COVENTRY POST OFFICE

71 Hertford Street

Architect: William Oldrieve
Year: 1902 (c.1925 alterations and additions, architect David Dyke)
Archive sources
National Archives: WORK 13/860 (alterations); 69/6 (photograph)
Selected bibliographical references
Coventry Evening Telegraph 23 Oct 1902, p. 2; 1 Dec 1902, p. 3
History
Opened: 1 Dec 1902
Closed: 2008
Current use: Retail premises

Building description
From: Coventry Evening Telegraph 1 December 1902, p. 3

Coventry's new Post Office was opened to-day. The city went to sleep on Saturday night leaving the whole of the postal work of the town still being transacted at the old premises in Smithford Street; it awoke on Monday, after its Sunday nap, to its customary business activity, and found the Postmaster (Mr. Alexander) and his staff, installed in the fine new offices in Hertford Street, with everything in complete working order. The transformation has been effected during Sunday and Monday early morn. When the doors of the new office were thrown open at 7 a.m. to-day, the first customers entered the public hall to find the clerks waiting in majesty behind a long, handsome, irreproachably polished counter. The highly respectable and resplendent beauty of that structure of mahogany will command respectful regard. As for the clerks behind it, the public will communicate with them through a big, wide-meshed, wire screen similar, but superior, to that erected on the counter at the old office. On the clerks' side of the counter, out of view of the public, are fixed pieces of metal, with various sized nicks, by which the coins passed over may be tested. The fact may possibly be of some interest. The first persons to enter the new post office this morning would, had they been observant, noticed the admirable arrangements made for meeting all the public requests. The counter is marked off by neat little placards telling anyone who wishes to know that here at one end postage-stamps may be obtained, while at another, part telegrams may be handed in. For the convenience of persons writing telegrams, a row of little compartments, with the necessary materials, is provided. At the left extremity of the counter, which is fifty feet in length, is a special department, where all registered letters and parcels will be dealt with, entirely separate from the general work. This provision is a most welcome one. Letters may also be posted from the interior of the office. So much for the public hall. The building has a fine frontage and a sound, solid appearance, as the above picture will show. The novel features of the new office are all where they should be — inside, and are of such a nature as will accelerate the despatch of public business. A full description of the many excellencies of the interior accommodation appeared in The Midland Daily Telegraph of the 23rd October, and it may serve if we touch on only one or two of the principal features. In the old office the messenger boys were placed in a waiting-room somewhere in the vicinity of the roof. In the present offices the lads will wait in a downstair room, fitted thoughtfully with a "Kitchen" stove. The messages will be dropped down to them from the instrument-room above through a little chute, and the messengers, being in close proximity to the passage in which the bicycles are stored, there will be no delay in the delivery of messages. The sorting-room is a spacious, lofty hall, well fitted with sorting desks, giving accommodation for about 50 clerks. The mails will be delivered to this room by the back entrance in Grey Friars' Lane. The instrument-room and the telephone room are on the second floor. Before the transfer of business was made all the telegraph and telephone wires were working through the new office, and when the instruments were shifted all that was necessary was to connect up and sever certain wires. The telegraph instruments consist of a quadruplex set to Birmingham for sending two messages and receiving two messages at the same time on one wire, a quadruplex set to London, a circuit for reading by sound to Birmingham, and a number of local circuits — about 12 in all. In the telephone-room all the trunk wires are dealt with; and there is connection with the National renters all over the Kingdom. There is a junction circuit for each trunk wire led into the room. On the third floor are located various offices, including the engineer's, while at the top of the building the caretaker is provided with excellent rooms. The building is heated by hot water, an up-to-date boiler being laid in the basement, and is lit throughout with electric light. For the convenience of removing stores and other articles a large manual lift is erected, which runs from the top of the building to the basement. An iron staircase, erected at the rear of the building, provides an emergency exit, which is accessible from all parts. The transfer from the one premises to the other was, so Mr. Alexander tells us, effected in a very satisfactory manner, and this morning everything was working smoothly. All the outward mails were despatched from the Smithford St. office on Sunday night, while the inward mails were dealt with at the new Post Office. The telegraph instruments were moved and connected up in time to commence business at 7 a.m. The present premises are excellent throughout, and the large postal and telegraph work of the city, which, by the way, has greatly increased during the last 12 months, is certain to be dealt with thoroughly in offices in the fitting up of which the principles of convenience and expediency have been thoughtfully considered.