The world’s oldest post office, certified by Guinness World Records, has a new lease on life to continue its 311-year history in a small town near the English-Scottish border.
The new postmasters are a British couple, transplanted to Florida for years and newly returned to the UK. The former postmaster of Sanquhar died last November, and his wife, who kept it open wanted to retire, setting off a search for new hands to keep it open.
Barry and Mary Ford, who are taking on the role, will be only the 17th operator in the office’s long history. Soon after being approved to take over the franchise, Mary Ford discovered that she has family roots in the area, after finding a pair of knitted gloves with a distinctive Sanquhar pattern among her family heirlooms.
The Post Office is named by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest still in operation, eight years older than its closest rival in Stockholm. Tourists visit to have their letters marked with a special handstamp stating “The World’s Oldest Post Office.”
