Post has left its mark on the city

THE local Post Office has been a part of Scottish life for generations.

Their numbers may be dwindling but those that remain tend to inspire a fierce loyalty among their customers and those that have gone are fondly remembered.

Post offices across the Lothians are currently facing the threat of closure, with up to 20 expected to shut as part of a national rationalisation plan.

All over the city you can see traces of many others that have gone before them, with many buildings and old pillar boxes evoking memories of times past.

Perhaps the most notable remnant of the Post Office in Edinburgh is the former General Post Office building on Waterloo Place. The seven-storey building's foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1861 and opened to the public in 1866.

The most ubiquitous part of the Post Office network, though, is undoubtedly the red pillar box, many of which can be seen all over the city.

In 1965, however, there was confusion in Edinburgh when a new post box opened in Waverley Station. Described by the Evening News as a "grey steel affair with discreet blue fittings", the box was ignored by station visitors.

Even the Post Office were surprised when the Evening News questioned them about it, with one official saying: "A pillar box that isn't red, it's the first I've heard of it!"

The box, which also sold stamps, postcards and dispensed change was not part of any 1960s attempt at breaking the norm but was, in fact, installed by the station privately with its colours chosen to match the station's decor.

Over a decade earlier, in November 1952, there were celebrations over the opening of a more conventional pillar box on the Inch housing estate.

Ballie James Campbell, a senior magistrate, and Colonel J. Gardiner, Scottish director of the Post Office, met a crowd on Galashiels Road to open the first pillar box in Scotland to feature the E II R crest of the then new Queen. Mr Campbell then posted the first letter – addressed to the Lord Provost of Chicago. Mr Gardiner hailed the event as "unique and of considerable historic importance" due to it being one of the first pillar boxes on the newly-built estate.

The postal service has seen both local and national strikes throughout its history, most recently in the autumn of 2007.

One of the biggest occurred in 1971 when 210,000 Post Office staff across the UK went on strike between January 20 and March 8.

The Evening News reported that by the time the staff went back to work, there was a total backlog of 11 million pieces of undelivered mail with more stranded abroad.

An interesting aspect of the strike was that it delayed refurbishment of the Capital's telephone boxes for decimal currency – introduced on 15 February, right in the middle of the strike.

The telephone network was in the hands of the Post Office until 1981, with Edinburgh's main telephone exchange based on Rose Street.

The busiest time for the Post Office has always been Christmas when people send cards and presents across the country, with all of us advised to post as early as we can.

The Scotsman reported on 22 December 1962 that Edinburgh residents had responded to the advice, with over eight million parcels sent from the city to arrive in time for Christmas morning.