Original location: Castle Street [formerly Bow Lane] Antrim, County Antrim
The Post Office is one of the oldest public services. It began in 1635 when King Charles I, in an effort to raise money, made his Royal Mail available to his subjects. Originally postage was paid by the recipient, not the sender, and charges were based on the number of sheets of paper and the distance involved.
In 1840 Rowland Hill overhauled the postal service. The sender would pay postage and charges would be based only on weight. The world's first adhesive postage stamp, the 'Penny Black' (changed to the 'Penny Red' in 1841) was introduced. As the century progressed the Post Office played an increasingly important role in people's lives. Now they could maintain contact with friends and family, whether at home or abroad, and children who had emigrated could send money home to help support the family.
In 1861 the Post Office Savings Bank and in 1883 the Parcel Post were established which enabled ordinary people to save, as little as a penny at a time, and businesses to expand their trade through catalogues and mail order. The Government used the Post Office sell dog licences (1871), to distribute the Old Age Pension (1909) and Motor Vehicle Licences (1909) and Health and Unemployment Insurance stamps (1912).
In many small towns the Post Office operated from a shop, the shopkeeper having the franchise.
