Orange Post Office

About

The Orange Post Office is a heritage-listed post office located at 221 Summer Street, Orange, City of Orange, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Designed by the Colonial Architect’s Office under James Barnet and built by J. Douglas. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000.

The first official postal service in Australia was established in April 1809, when the Sydney merchant Isaac Nichols was appointed as the first Postmaster in the colony of NSW. Prior to this, mail had been distributed directly by the captain of the ship on which the mail arrived, however this system was neither reliable nor secure.

In 1825 the colonial administration was empowered to establish a NSW Postmaster General 's Department, which had previously been administered from Britain.

In 1828 the first post offices outside of Sydney were established, with offices in Bathurst, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle, Penrith and Windsor. By 1839 there were forty post offices in the colony, with more opened as settlement spread. During the 1860s, the advance of postal services was further increased as the railway network began to be established throughout NSW. In 1863, the Postmaster General WH Christie noted that accommodation facilities for Postmasters in some post offices was quite limited, and stated that it was a matter of importance that "post masters should reside and sleep under the same roof as the office".

The first telegraph line was opened in Victoria in March 1854 and in NSW in 1858. The NSW colonial government constructed two lines from the Sydney GPO, one to the South Head Signal Station, the other to Liverpool. Development was slow in NSW compared to the other states, with the Government concentrating on the development of country offices before suburban ones. As the line spread, however, telegraph offices were built to accommodate the operators. Unlike the Post Office, the telegraph office needed specialised equipment and could not be easily accommodated in a local store or private residence. Post and telegraph offices operated separately until January 1870 when the departments were amalgamated, after which time new offices were built to include both postal and telegraph services. In 1881 the first telephone exchange was opened in Sydney, three years after the first tests in Adelaide. As with the telegraph, the telephone system soon began to extend into country areas, with telephone exchanges appearing in country NSW from the late 1880s onwards. Again the Post Office was responsible for the public telephone exchange, further emphasising its place in the community as a provider of communications services.

The appointment of James Barnet as Acting Colonial Architect in 1862 coincided with a considerable increase in funding to the public works program. Between 1865 and 1890 the Colonial Architects Office was responsible for the building and maintenance of 169 Post Offices and telegraph offices in NSW. The post offices constructed during this period featured in a variety of architectural styles, as Barnet argued that the local parliamentary representatives always preferred "different patterns".

The construction of new post offices continued throughout the depression years under the leadership of Walter Liberty Vernon, who held office from 1890 to 1911. While twenty-seven post offices were built between 1892 and 1895, funding to the Government Architect's Office was cut from 1893 to 1895, causing Vernon to postpone a number of projects.

Following Federation in 1901, the Commonwealth Government took over responsibility for post, telegraph and telephone offices, with the Department of Home Affairs Works Division being made responsible for post office construction. In 1916 construction was transferred to the Department of Works and Railways, with the Department of the Interior responsible during World War II.

On 22 December 1975, the Postmaster-General's Department was abolished and replaced by the Postal and Telecommunications Department, with Telecom and Australia Post created as trading entities. In 1989, the Australian Postal Corporation Act established Australia Post as a self-funding entity, heralding a new direction in property management, including a move away from the larger more traditional buildings towards smaller shop front style post offices.

For much of its history, the post office has been responsible for a wide variety of community services including mail distribution, an agency for the Commonwealth Savings Bank, electoral enrolments, and the provision of telegraph and telephone services. The town post office has served as a focal point for the community, most often built in a prominent position in the centre of town close to other public buildings, creating a nucleus of civic buildings and community pride.

The first European settlement in Orange began during the early 1820s, when a convict cattle station was established. The region was opened up for free settlement after 1826, when Governor Darling redefined the limits of location. Originally known as Blackmans Swamp, the village of Orange was proclaimed and surveyed in 1846. The first post office was established in 1849, and is reported to have been within the store of John Woodward, fronting the road to Bathurst.

Orange's population began to rise rapidly with the discovery of gold in the district, and the village gradually filled with buildings of more permanence. The second post office was constructed during this period (1851–55) with a John Arkins as Postmaster. Arkins' annual salary was £12, increasing to £50 by 1855 when James Dale was Postmaster, and then to £100 by 1861, an indication of the growing postal business in Orange. In December 1860 the Telegraph reached Orange, six years after its introduction to Australia. The Telegraph Station Master was Robert Pizey, who was appointed with a salary of £150. Pizey was succeeded by Charles Cooper as Telegraph Master in October 1862.

From 1 January 1870 the post office and telegraph offices were amalgamated in Australia. In Orange, Charles Cooper stayed on as Telegraph Master while his wife Rose Cooper was appointed Post mistress. It seems that the two offices operated out of the same building at this time, although no official record of this exists. In 1877, Charles Cooper wrote to the Post Master General asking for further assistance in the running of the Post Office, complaining that he was often at the office from 8.30am till 10pm, longer when he had to receive or dispatch mail. As a result of Cooper's request, he was appointed as Postmaster as well as Telegraph Master from 15 October 1877, a position he held until his retirement in 1897, and an assistant was employed at £100 per annum.

The Colonial Architect James Barnet prepared plans for the present Post Office during 1877, which would adequately accommodate both the postal and telegraph services. The plan included accommodation for the District Surveyor and Road Superintendent, as well as the Post and Telegraph Office in the one building. The estimated cost for construction came to £6,000. The building tender was accepted from a Mr J. Douglas on 18 November 1878. A clock and turret were added to the design during 1879 at an extra cost of £395, with the clock itself costing £205. The building was completed on 29 December 1879 and officially opened by the Postmaster General, Mr S. Samuel on 10 February 1880.

During 1903 the decision was made to take over the entire building for use as the Post Office and to carry out alterations and additions. A tender from Mr J. H. Gains was accepted for the work at £1,397. In August 1903, the Road Superintendent vacated the section of the building he had occupied, and the Post Office moved into this section while the work was completed in the main office. Three upstairs rooms, which had been occupied by the School of Arts were also taken over by the Post Office, while the telephone switchboard was placed in the upper front room. The repairs and alteration were finalised on 14 July 1904 at a total cost of £1,500.

Further additions were made to the Post Office in 1913. A number of further alterations to the building have occurred since this time, including the relocation of the southwestern stair, addition of the toilets in the 1950-60s and electrification of the clock mechanism in 1983. The Post Office interior was remodelled in c. 1995 to improve retail services.

The first official postal service in Australia was established in April 1809, when the Sydney merchant Isaac Nichols was appointed as the first Postmaster in the colony of NSW. Prior to this, mail had been distributed directly by the captain of the ship on which the mail arrived, however this system was neither reliable nor secure.

In 1825 the colonial administration was empowered to establish a NSW Postmaster General 's Department, which had previously been administered from Britain.

In 1828 the first post offices outside of Sydney were established, with offices in Bathurst, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle, Penrith and Windsor. By 1839 there were forty post offices in the colony, with more opened as settlement spread. During the 1860s, the advance of postal services was further increased as the railway network began to be established throughout NSW. In 1863, the Postmaster General WH Christie noted that accommodation facilities for Postmasters in some post offices was quite limited, and stated that it was a matter of importance that "post masters should reside and sleep under the same roof as the office".

The first telegraph line was opened in Victoria in March 1854 and in NSW in 1858. The NSW colonial government constructed two lines from the Sydney GPO, one to the South Head Signal Station, the other to Liverpool. Development was slow in NSW compared to the other states, with the Government concentrating on the development of country offices before suburban ones. As the line spread, however, telegraph offices were built to accommodate the operators. Unlike the Post Office, the telegraph office needed specialised equipment and could not be easily accommodated in a local store or private residence. Post and telegraph offices operated separately until January 1870 when the departments were amalgamated, after which time new offices were built to include both postal and telegraph services. In 1881 the first telephone exchange was opened in Sydney, three years after the first tests in Adelaide. As with the telegraph, the telephone system soon began to extend into country areas, with telephone exchanges appearing in country NSW from the late 1880s onwards. Again the Post Office was responsible for the public telephone exchange, further emphasising its place in the community as a provider of communications services.