Death of a Post Office

02 April 2008

Deborah Devonshire laments the death of a post office

Teas in the cottage remain popular, but the locals don’t go out to tea, they have it in their own homes. Fine weather walkers and tourists are welcome, but they don’t belong, their roots are elsewhere.

There has been a PO in Edensor since 1886 — 122 years. It was one of the first in a small village, presumably provided to serve Chatsworth. By 1892 the postmistress, Mrs Jane Bacon, dealt with two deliveries and two collections on weekdays and one of each on Sundays. The then Duke of Devonshire and his politician guests made good use of the newly installed telegraph office and the locals appreciated several other services.

A bell-boy, aged 12, was the human on whom Chatsworth relied for telegrams. One of his jobs was to run the half-mile to the Edensor PO with telegrams. His name was W.K. Shimwell. This education served him far better than sitting in a classroom, as he went on to be private secretary to the Duke, when he was governor-general of Canada, 1916-21, and later he became comptroller of Chatsworth and clerk of works to all the buildings scattered over the thousands of acres of the Derbyshire estate including Chatsworth itself.

It’s all gone. There is no bell-boy and no Post Office. Now, that horrible form of communication, email, rules. Even people in the same office send emails to each other instead of talking. Bang go human relationships. All is sacrificed to speed. No time to ponder — bung off the email and back comes another in the ridiculous new language invented for it. With no proper signature, no envelope for privacy and paper galore, manners, spelling and grammar are out of the window. Email is cold, impersonal, demanding, invading and often incomprehensible. Like the hymn, it is immortal, invisible... and silent as light.

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D Short

April 4th, 2008 7:13am Report this comment

Why on earth do you publish this woman? Simply because is part of the Devonshire family? As Charles Ryder's father says in Brideshead Revisited: 'Do you hope for a legacy?'

Sue Handy-Routh

April 4th, 2008 12:21pm Report this comment

Ignoring the politics of envy ...
I am currently writing a business plan and a book proposal for my Uni course (Furniture Restoration). At the same time answering questions from my neice (design student) in Sydney with regard to the composition of an old chair on which she has to write a 'life cycle analysis'. Also answering emails from furniture experts who are sending me information for inclusion in the book on identifying chair seat-weaving materials. Impossible without email; not wanting or wasting and speedy as light.

Kim Hammill

April 4th, 2008 2:21pm Report this comment

Is it not possible to establish a Post Office at Chatsworth? Perhpaps the Duchess could convert the cottage that is(was?) used by the idiot of a former Home Secretary, Blunkett, and put it to a far better use!

Max Kaye

April 5th, 2008 9:38pm Report this comment

D Short - maybe because she writes well and evocatively. Your question can be more suitably asked about Ms Venetia Thompson who has made a return after a blessed absence.

Helen

April 8th, 2008 11:26pm Report this comment

As a frequent visitor to UK, searching out the country post offices to buy stamps has always been a part on my vacations. Yes, the postal system needs to be modernized, but these charming old post offices will be missed - especially by me.

Eamonn Collins

April 22nd, 2008 10:44am Report this comment

Given her distaste for modern means of communication,no doubt Miss Devonshire submitted her article handwritten on vellum, carried in a cleft stick by a young oik from the village.

Brent

May 1st, 2008 1:30am Report this comment

I have always enjoyed the wit and wisdom of The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. It is indeed very sad to see something that is a part of ones life go away. I hope that something is done about this.

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