Post Office Paradise Street 1873

[Vivienne14]

Now we all know the old GPO building on Victoria Square, but there seems to have been one next door at the junction of Paradise Street/Hill Street. The photo below is dated 1922, but does it show the earlier post office to the right as per the pink 1888 map below. Presumably this replaced the old New Street Post Office. By 1902/11 the map shows the building the Inland Revenue offices. Viv

 

[mikejee]

From the other direction it can be seen on the right

 

[Vivienne14]

It was a substantial building Mike. However, the GPO building that’s still there today looks about twice the size ! Viv.

 

[ellbrown]

2009 photo from Victoria Square, but the post office is still behind in Victoria Square House (the modern building behind).

Red post boxes have long since been removed and the Metro extension is being built up Pinfold Street and onto Victoria Square towards Paradise Street. No 1 Victoria Square is on the site of the ex post office.

 

[Vivienne14]

A detailed (albeit lengthy) account of the need for the new P.O. on Paradise Street/Hill Street in September 1873, just as the new building was about to open for business. The description of the old New Street P.O (at #61 New Street ?) sounds dire. So no wonder a better P.O. was demanded.

The P.O. at the junction of Paradise St/Hill St can only have been in use as the GPO for 17 years before the GPO in Ells photo # 4 was built and P.O. operations were moved across the road (Hill St) to that 1890 building.

Viv.

 

[Phil]

Viv

I think the building you indicate remained a part of sorting office of the post office until it was demolished, or at least until the new premises were built in Severn Street. They even added a connecting bridge to the Central Post Office not long after it was built.

 

[Astoness]

thanks phil...what a lovely site that is or should i say was

 

[ellbrown]

A more recent 2019 photo from Victoria Square looking at the West Midlands Metro extension to Victoria Square House and No 1 Victoria Square, down Hill Street.

 

[ellbrown]

Current Post Office entrance on Pinfold Street in Victoria Square House.

 

[Vivienne14]

The building was being used as the GPO sorting office in 1972. It was completey demolished in 1975 (date corrected). It had very ornate windows (left side of photo). Viv.

 

[Vivienne14]

Christmas sorting in the 1930s. Viv.

 

[BrumMack]

A detailed (albeit lengthy) account of the need for the new P.O. on Paradise Street/Hill Street in September 1873, just as the new building was about to open for business. The description of the old New Street P.O (at #61 New Street ?) sounds dire. So no wonder a better P.O. was demanded.

The P.O. at the junction of Paradise St/Hill St can only have been in use as the GPO for 17 years before the GPO in Ells photo # 4 was built and P.O. operations were moved across the road (Hill St) to that 1890 building.

Viv.

Two points:
1) The previous central Post Office prior to the one opened in 1873 on the corner of Hill Street and Paradise Street was located in the building that was once Wilday's New Royal Hotel next door to the Theatre Royal. This was just across the road from the Bennett's Hill junction with New Street, which is where the two previous central Post Offices were located.

2) The attachment, which dates from 1877 shows the three central Post Offices prior to the first Paradise Street one (this is a public domain document held by Birmingham Museums Trust).

 

[Vivienne14]

Thank you Richard that’s a great addition to this thread. I think the second and third buildings depicted in the drawing are new information which I don’t think has been mentioned before. It certainly helps to make sense of the reference to the New Street Office in the newspaper article in post #5 I couldn’t relate the description of the interior with Post Office #1 in the drawing.

It’s surprising (and slightly confusing) as to how many central Post Offices there have been. But the drawing provides the missing links. Viv.

 

[Vivienne14]

There is now a thread about the early New Street Post Offices before 1873 here https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/new-street-post-offices-until-1873.53903/

There is a thread about the General Post Office, Victoria Square built in 1890 here

General Post Office 1890 Victoria Square

We don't appear to have a thread dedicated to this grand old building, but it's one we'd all recognise even now. Thanks to the hard work of the Birmingham Victorian Society it's still there for us to admire today. A little bit of history: The General Post Office built in 1890, was designed by...

birminghamhistory.co.uk

Viv.

 

[Jenny M]

Viv

I think the building you indicate remained a part of sorting office of the post office until it was demolished, or at least until the new premises were built in Severn Street. They even added a connecting bridge to the Central Post Office not long after it was built.

View attachment 131565

I worked in this building in the early sixties, as a telegraphist. I worked in the I.G. (Instrument gallery). To get to the canteen we climbed a flight of stairs and crossed that bridge . Popular breakfast or snack was thick slices of white bread with beef dripping and salt.

 

[Vivienne14]

Wow I can taste that Jenny ! Viv.

 

[Jenny M]

2009 photo from Victoria Square, but the post office is still behind in Victoria Square House (the modern building behind).

Red post boxes have long since been removed and the Metro extension is being built up Pinfold Street and onto Victoria Square towards Paradise Street. No 1 Victoria Square is on the site of the ex post office.

in the sixties when I worked in this building, the top floor was partly occupied by Wireless Records, where reminders for licence renewals were hand written , the managers name I remember was Harold Mullins .

 

[Jenny M]

Wow I can taste that Jenny ! Viv.

Definitely against health and safety these days Viv

 

[Vivienne14]

This shows the demolition of the building. Did the bridge go at this time too ? A poorly written, confusing caption. Viv.

 

[BrumMack]

The building was being used as the GPO sorting office in 1972. It was completey demolished in 1985. It had very ornate windows (left side of photo). Viv.

View attachment 132172

Hi, Vivienne, in your post you mention that the Paradise Street central post office was demolished in 1985. I have seen a photo on georgraph.org.uk that shows the demolished building and dates that photo, rather precisely, to 15 July 1974. But this early date has been questioned. Do you know what was the source for the 1985 demolition date? Thanks

 

[Vivienne14]

HiBrumMack. It must have been a typo ((should be 1975 not 1985) as the image in #19 is dated 1975. Shall edit original post. Thanks. Viv.

 

[BrumMack]

The site of the 1873 Post Office after demolition in 1974.

(Photo by Chris Denny 15 July 1974. Image shared under this Creative Common's Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/).

 

[Vivienne14]

The number of central Birmingham Post Offices is quite confusing. The one below is dated 1874 and was located on Paradise Street, it must have been the one in use after the former post office moved out of premises, once Wildays New Royal Hotel buiding on New Street.

A link to the pre-1873 Post Offices

New Street Post Offices until 1873

A detailed (albeit lengthy) account of the need for the new P.O. on Paradise Street/Hill Street in September 1873, just as the new building was about to open for business. The description of the old New Street P.O (at #61 New Street ?) sounds dire. So no wonder a better P.O. was demanded. The...

birminghamhistory.co.uk

Viv.