by Neil Baxter

In these days of reducing public services it is timely to review our present Post Office and its
predecessors. There have been five sites of post offices in Kingswear.

In 1850 the directories show Thomas Avis to be a chair maker, and in 1856 through 1866 boat builder and postmaster.

The first post office, with Thomas Avis, was on the corner of the sea wall at the south-west of our Kingswear’s First Post Office ferry slip, in Longford beyond the telephone box. There were steps there too, later used by Tom Casey for a passenger ferry.

In 1864 James Paddon was the first station master, in 1870 was also postmaster, and in 1877 pier master in addition. He with his wife was postmaster of the second post office in Dart Bank, between ‘The Ship’ and the Church; they retired to run his house Fernbank now Longfield as a lodging house. Mr Thomas Clark, baker, became postmaster in 1883.

The third post office was in Fore Street at the present gated recess between our Village Hall and The Steam Packet. In 1910 and at least to 1914 Samuel Wellington was postmaster and also had a stationer’s shop. Our directories end at this date but perhaps there are some who can follow the postmaster line further.

Mrs Holdsworth was the postmistress of the fourth post office which was in her house in The Square on the rounded corner to Priory Street and is shown clearly in several photographs.

When she retired in 1973, Mrs Till who ran the shop next door became postmistress in our present fifth
Kingswear Post Office. In 1996 Mrs Till handed on to Jude Stone, our postmistress today,.

Together with Kingswear Village Stores the post office is at the heart of our community.