History of the Post Office Museum
The Idea of establishing the Post Office Museum was first suggested as far back as 1913 at the First Philatelic Exhibition held in South Africa.
Over the years there has been a steady accumulation of items for the proposed museum, mainly from departmental sources and purchases and donations, but it was not until 1972 that the final decision to establish a Post Office Museum was taken and a curator, Mr Mervyn Emms, appointed.
During 1973 the Museum was given temporary quarters in the Old National Bank chambers on Church Square Here a temporary exhibition on the history and development of the telephone was opened in August 1976 to coincide with the centenary of the invention of the telephone.
During 1978 when for the first time in almost 50 years , the head office divisions of the Post Office were moved under one roof, offices were provided for the museum on the lower ground floor of the now Telkom building in Pretoria.
The museum was closed to visitors in 2000 when the then Curator, Mr Peter Hambriged resigned. After a period of four years a new Curator was appointed. Albert Mahlangu was appointed to overlook the opening and operation of the Post Office Museum.
Museum Building History
Post Office services rendered on the site of the present Post Office on Church square in Pretoria since the 19th century. The thatched shack of those days was substituted by the present building in 1909. In a countrywide competition for the design of the new post office, the elevations of the architects Cook & Mackenzie of Bloemfontein, and the ground floor plan of architects Tully, Waters & Cleland of Cape Town were chosen. William Nottingham erected the building at a cost 0f £112 000. On 2 March 1910 Lord Selbourne, the first Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, laid the corner stone. The post office was opened to the public in October 1910.
The three buildings next to the post office building in Paleis Street have been part of the main post office complex for many years. The corner-stone of the building of De Nationale Bank der Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, next to the post office building, was laid on 6 July 1892 y President Paul Kruger. This was, according to the wording on the stone, also a corner- stone of the Mint, which stood behind this building.
Next to the bank Building is a narrow three-storey building which was erected round about 1903 and was linked to the Mint. The last building in the row is the one that was built or the Bank of African Ltd. The letters B.A.L still appear on the wrought iron of the balconies in the façade triangle.
After the Bank of African Ltd was later incorporated with the National Bank, the South African Mutual Insurance Company took over the building. The name and logo of this company still appear on the mat glass windowpanes.
Commissariat Square, on the corner of Vermulen and Paleis Streets, today also forms part of the main post office complex on Church Square. During the first War of Independence of 1880-1881 the barracks of soldiers were on this square. In later years it was also used as a public parking area.
The head office of the well-known builder of Pretoria, John Kirkness, was on the site of the present public post office box hall in the years 1895 to 1935