Jan 2006
A Clifton post office closes its doors for the last time tomorrow, bringing to an end nearly a century of postal history in the same Georgian building. The Mall Post Office is closing with the retirement of its sub postmaster Peter Dunstall, who intended to run the business for only two years - but stayed for 26. He made the Mall Post Office a truly family affair, firstly running it with his late wife Joyce, and more recently working alongside his son Antony, who is manager of the branch.
With the closure of Mr Dunstall's business, the postal service for the area will be transferred to the CostCutter store in nearby Regent Street from next Monday, while Mr Dunstall, his partner, Antony and his fiancee move further afield, to France. Mr Dunstall said he never intended to stay in Clifton for so long. The 64-year-old said: 'I would go into a post office, get it moving along and then go on to the next one. I'd been at Whitchurch village post office for two years and previously to that I was at the Belland Drive office in Whitchurch, also for two years. 'I intended to do the same here at Clifton.
But I found all the customers are very pleasant and they have always been concerned about my family. So I stayed. 'Antony met his girlfriend Isabelle when she started working here as an assistant. 'They're now moving to France, where they will get married. 'My other son, Kevin, worked here as an assistant on Saturday mornings when he was at school. 'He now runs the Sea Mills post office.' The postal service has been central to Mr Dunstall's professional life. He was secretary of the Bristol branch of the National Federation of sub-postmasters for 13 years and its president for one. He has built up a large collection of postal memorabilia ranging from commemorative stamps to historic First Day Covers and administrative documentation issued by the Post Office nationally.
A 1936 Post Office Guide running to 1,000 pages was 'the Bible for everyone in this business', said Mr Dunstall It gives the addresses and opening times of offices all over the country along with postal rates and lots of other information. One section headed 'Embarrassing Postal Packets' says that leeches and bees must be enclosed in a box to protect postal staff from danger'. Mr Dunstall said that his current site in The Mall has been a post office for at least 80 years, possibly longer, since the street was known as Portland Place. It became The Mall in 1962. Regent Street was also previously home to a post office, with one operating there for 80 years until it closed in 1988. Mr Dunstall, who is moving to Brittany with his partner Betty to renovate property, said: 'The last day here is going to be one of mixed emotions.
I renovated this building when I arrived and the postal service has been a large chunk of my life. 'We've had some interesting times here. 'One man tried to send an eight foot tree through the mail. It wasn't even wrapped. 'Someone else wanted to send a sabre. Again, that wasn't wrapped. ' We had to decline both items.' Businessman Chris Smith, who has been using the Mall post office for about 30 years, said: 'It will be hard to find another businessman like Peter, both on a professional and a personal level. 'If you telephone him, you will get far more practical and pragmatic advice than by dialling a national helpline. 'The staff are incredibly friendly to dogs, giving them biscuits. I went in with my dog at the weekend to thank them for their exceptionally good service.'
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