World Post Day – Historic Post Office buildings

Stamp issue date: 9 October 2008
Artwork: Annemarie Wessels
Stamp size: 28.88 x 38 mm
Stamp sheet size: 164.4 x 96 mm
Paper: 110gsm sopal stamp paper
Gum: PVA
Quantity printed: 30 000
Colour: CMYK
Phosphor: 4 mm in L shape, on left and bottom of stamp.
Printing process: Offset Lithography
Printed by: Joh. Enschedé Stamps B.V., The Netherlands

The South African Post Office will celebrate World Post Day 2008 by issuing a set of stamps featuring some of the most beautiful Post Office buildings in the country. The buildings chosen to be illustrated on this set of stamps had to comply with the following criteria:
• that the building must be a Provincial Heritage Site or
• it must be on the Register at the South African Heritage Resource Agency, and
• all buildings are still being used as post offices.

The stamps were designed by Annemarie Wessels and will be issued on World Post Day – 9 October 2008.

World Post Day is celebrated worldwide each year on 9 October to commemorate the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in Bern in1874. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. Since its inception countries across the world participate annually in the celebrations. The theme for this year’s World Post Day is ‘Reaching everyone everywhere’.

Main post office West, Durban – KwaZulu-Natal
The Old Durban Town Hall, at present the General Post Office Building was designed in 1882 by Phillip Dudgeon. The foundation stone was laid in 1883 and the building was opened in 1885. The building is an outstanding example of neo-classical architecture and played an important part in the history of Natal.

West Bank post office, East London
This was the first building to be erected after the founding of East London in 1847. It served as a magistrate’s court from 1867 to 1882 and has been in continuous use as a post office since then.

Aberdeen post office
Aberdeen had its origins in the establishment of the Dutch Reformed Church congregation of Brakfontein on 16 October 1855. The name Brakfontein is derived from the farm which was purchased for this purpose. The congregation fell within the parish of Rev Andrew Murray senior of Graaff-Reinet and its name was later changed to Aberdeen after the town in Scotland near which he had been born. It was erected by the Department of Public Works in 1898 and originally also housed the government offices.

Frankfort post office
The Post Office, police station and court in Frankfort in the Free State are all sandstone buildings next to each other in Van Reenen Street. The plans of the building, dated July 1903, were drawn by HGA de la Corneliére of the Department of Public Works in the Orange River Colony in the style of public buildings of its time with sandstone walls and a red-painted pitched corrugated roof. A large Cape Dutch gable appears above the entrance, with the date 1904 and the initials ERI on it. The entrance is a double wooden door with an arched window above it, finished off with a double arch of smooth sandstone. A wooden-frame window and column of cut sandstone appears either side of the front door.

Church Square post office
The entire Church Square in Pretoria is a national heritage site with a number of historical buildings, including the post office. Designed by William Hawke, it was built in 1910 at a cost of £112, 000. The Post Office today occupies the entire northwest side of Church Square, which is a living, working square to this day. The church, after which the square is named, was demolished in 1905.

The post office itself was renovated and a two-storey building erected behind it, at a total cost of R19.4 million. The portion currently occupied by the post office includes the historical post office built in 1910, the Nationale Bank der Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (1890) and the old Mint Building (1903).