by Keith Hellyer
Pre-Henry VIII, the few letters written were dispatched with the sender making arrangements for delivery; Edward I established a chain of fixed posts for the royal post, and over time some private letters were added. In 1516, Henry appointed the first Postmaster General. Posting stations were gradually set up approximately 20 miles apart (the maximum distance a horse could travel) across the whole country. Some private services attempted to encroach on the business, so Charles I made the royal mail service available to the public in 1635 with postage paid by the recipient. In 1784 mail coaches were introduced, thus speeding up delivery. The nearest coach route to Felpham was the London to Portsmouth line, which started in August 1785, mainly carrying messages and mail to the naval dockyard. Mail delivery continued this way until the arrival of the railway, signalling the end of coaches and the post-horn gallop.
In 1839 Rowland Hill introduced postage stamps with The Penny Black, introducing pre-paid postage and so payment did not have to be collected from the recipient. Pillar boxes were introduced in 1853. They were originally green and became Post Office red in 1874.
The nearest office to Felpham began with Mr. W Carlton the first Postmaster at The Swan near The Cross in Chichester. Letters onward to Bognor/Felpham were not deemed Post Office responsibility, and so deliverers were employed to take the mail to Bognor/Felpham. But mail would go missing and take a long time. Mr. Hayley of Felpham complained of the difficulty of getting mail from London, for example. Eventually, Joseph Ragless became the first mail receiver at his sweet shop on the corner of Lyon St and the High St in 1802. Mr. Morgan was employed as a letter carrier and would walk to Chichester with outward mail and return and deliver the local mail.
Eventually, in 1847, a sub-Post Office opened in Felpham, run by Mrs. Ann Perrin (née Sparks) – from a very well-known local family. She was the local schoolmistress, which she continued at the same time. The office was at Grassmere Cottage, now Grassmere Parade – the building being roadside in front of what is now Mitsuyo House of Flowers. Ann was still teaching in 1861 aged 87 and passed away in 1871. Her daughters carried on the business with Frances becoming postmistress and Sarah the schoolteacher.
George Brown started as a shoemaker and then went into teaching alongside Sarah in the 1860s. He also became the Parish Clerk in 1871. When Frances retired in 1887, he became Postmaster, whilst continuing with his cobbling business in a rear room of the PO. He was still parish clerk and the verger at St Mary’s Church – a busy man! His son Charles was Postmaster in the early 1900s.
Around 1909, the current post office was built on the grounds of a public house called “Hero of the Nile”, presumably named after Admiral Horatio Nelson. It was smaller then and had a tiny shop area in the front left corner. The letter box was in the wall of the building and you can still see where it was by the different colour bricks in the wall near the notice board. The original pub had its own brewery and the rear flint wall and the PO and the cottage next door, “Morwell”, was part of the original wall. If you look closely at the flint wall in front of Morwell, you can make out the remains of a window.
The first postmaster was Mr. Thomas Wood, aged c. 45. He and his brother Edward came to Bognor in 1876, working in the Bognor post office. The work in Bognor increased more than tenfold in a very short time; the Telegraph and the Telegram had been introduced and in 1909 the Old Age Pension started. The Woods were heavily involved in all the changes, with Edward rising to become postmaster and Thomas his assistant/overseer. After 40 years, Edward retired as Bognor postmaster in 1916. His outside interests were organising the annual regatta; Captain of Bognor Fire Brigade; a sideman at St John’s Church, Bognor and Sunday School Superintendent. His brother left busy Bognor for the more tranquil Felpham due to ill health in 1909. He remained postmaster until 1927. He was also Bognor Town Bandmaster, conducting the Bijou Orchestra, and a performer in the Bognor PO minstrel troupe. The south wing of the property was erected during his time. He passed away in 1942 aged 83.
Postmasters/mistresses from 1927:
1927 – 1931 Mrs. Edith Cox
1937 – 1946 Mr. Charles Turrell
He drowned in suspicious circumstances on 10th October 1957 off Blakes Road. He served in World War 1 rising to RSM and earning the DCM and Croix de Guerre. He served in the Home Guard in WW2. He also worked an allotment and sang in the church choir. He was a freemason and would each evening walk to the Hotham Gentleman’s Club (now the RAFA club in Waterloo Square) to drink with friends.
1946 – 1959 Mr. & Mrs. Patterson
1959 – 1967 Mr. Clifford Capon
1967 – 1969 Mr. Johnson
1969 – 1986 Mr. & Mrs. Battison
Mr. Battinson was a Lt./Commander in the Royal Navy and on retirement he bought the PO. He became heavily involved as a volunteer for HMS Warrior.
1986 – 2014 M. Keith & Mrs. Susan Hellyer
“My wife and I spent many happy years here. I was 35 when we moved in with two young girls. It was a hectic life, running the PO and newsagents, rising at 5:30am every day and juggling with family life. Each day would be different and integration into village life was essential. I was a parish councillor for eight years, the Felpham Ratepayers Association for 20 and in local drama group ‘Brats’, Regis Players and Rainbow performing musicals, plays and pantos. My children also did many things and my wife was associated with many local charitable events. Now retired, we live near the golf club and have our two daughters and three grandchildren close by.”
2014 – present Mark Chapman
“ps Mrs. Brenda Knight deserves a mention for being a PO clerk at Felpham since 1960 and was still serving the community at the time of writing. We were saddened to hear of her passing on Saturday 17th September. She will be greatly missed by everyone in the village and at the PO.”
Written by Keith Hellyer with reference to “Bognor the GPO”, written by T. Gillespie & C. Mewett
Historical press articles can be found here in the British newspapers Archive
Photo by Roger Brooks