The history of Midhurst’s Post Offices revealed in a new and exciting e-book

Author Claire Nicholas is a heritage researcher currently studying the local brickmaking industry and has written an e-book on the history of the Post Office sites in Midhurst due to her own, personal connection to the Post Office.

The e-book also touches on the formation of the Post Office in Midhurst.

Claire said: “There were several reasons for the book. I had previously written an article for the Midhurst Magazine about the Grange Road building, but there was so much more that I wanted to say which didn't fit the criteria for the magazine, so I went solo .

“The overall interest in doing the research in the first place was because the Grange Road building is so iconic but we are in danger of losing it. It isn't listed and we have no idea how long the Royal Mail will continue to operate from it.

“I have a family connection to the Post Office. My father was a postman there, my godmother was in charge of the telephone exchange and my aunt was one of the switchboard operators (as was my father before becoming a postman).

“But I think the main reason for wanting to do the book was because of the overall community services that we used to get from from the Post Office before it split from the Royal Mail. That is sadly less evident now, due to the way it is structured. It is no reflection on the individuals who I think are brilliant.”

Claire also revealed that, in her research, many fascinating and interesting discoveries were made.

Claire continued: “Finding out the dates of various sites, which was ridiculously hard to achieve as not recorded in official records. For example, when contacting the Co-op to ask whether they knew when the counter was at their site, the answer I received was that they didn't even know there had been a Co-op store in Midhurst let alone when the PO was there.

"One of the most interesting aspects of my findings was getting confirmation of the PO's existence at Spread Eagle, which seems to have slipped from the records and our knowledge.

“It was also interesting to see how well built the Grange Road building is, how much attention to detail there is. But also how little it has changed (externally).

“My statistics towards the end of the book that estimate an average duration for each of the nine sites where the Post Office has been operating in Midhurst. Grange Road comes out as the 'winner' in terms of longevity.

“Something I didn't mention in the book, though, was the fact that there isn't a post box at the current site. How weird is that?

“Finally, I loved collecting the memories. There was nothing completely scandalous, but there was such camaraderie amongst colleagues and the community in general. There was a pride in being a postman prior to the changes.”