World’s oldest post office faces closure after 307 years of service

‘It is breaking my heart. I’d hate to think it will shut and become a supermarket or something’

THE world’s oldest post office is at risk of closing because the couple who run it plan to retire.

Opened in 1712 by aristocracy to deliver messages across the Scottish-english border, the Sanquhar Post Office, in Dumfries and Galloway, used mailrunners on horseback. Its recordbreaking longevity has been certified by Guinness World Records, and it has become a tourist attraction for stamp collectors.

It is also a “lifeline” for elderly people who depend on it for banking.

In 2015, it was feared it could be lost after postmistress Penny Murphy left, but stamp collector Manzoor Alam, 77, and his wife Nazra, 67, stepped in. Now, though, the couple plan to retire next May and return to Birmingham. They are desperately seeking a new owner to keep the post office open.

If no one takes the role on, Britain will lose the distinction of having the world’s oldest post office to Sweden, where a post office opened in Stockholm in 1720. Mrs Alam said: “It’s breaking my heart. If my health was better I’d carry on but I’ve got to call it a day. I’d hate to think it’ll shut and become a supermarket or something.”

The post office has had 16 postmasters and mistresses since 1712. It is on the market for £275,000, and comes with a three-bedroom cottage.

Duncan Close, the chairman of the local community council, said it would call a meeting to see what could be done. He added: “We’re sorry to see them go but it’s sad at the same time to think we could lose our Post Office.”

A Post Office spokesman said: “We are proud of the heritage of Sanquhar Post Office and are committed to preserving it into the future.”