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The Old Post Office, Tintagel, Cornwall

In the 1230s Earl Richard of Cornwall, a rich and ambitious son of King John built a fanciful castle at Tintagel. He had read Geoffrey of Monmouth's rather imaginative history which told him that Tintagel was linked with King Arthur, and wanted to be associated with the great mythic king. Once work started on the castle a settlement grew up outside its walls in which traders who supplied the castle could live. This settlement was to become the village of Trevena. By the following century a house was needed in the growing township for a steward to look after the Lord's interests. This building was probably the house now known as the Old Post Office. It was built with local materials, with a slate roof. This was a very heavy roofing material, which meant huge buttresses were necessary at the back of the building to prevent the roof from collapsing. Even with this extra support the roof has sagged dramatically over the centuries.

By 1844 the building had become a "Letter Receiving Office," for the village of Trevena, which was soon to be called Tintagel after the famous castle. When Tintagel village was being rebuilt for the tourist trade in the late nineteenth century, the Old Post Office was scheduled for demolition. It was saved by a group of local people and handed to the National Trust in 1903.

The Old Post Office has a Victorian letterbox which harks back to the days when Tennyson was here pondering on his Arthur poems.

 

 

Opening Times: Open 13th to 21st February and 13th March to 2nd April 11am - 4pm.

Open from 3rd April to 1st October, seven days a week, 11am - 5pm.

Open 2nd to 31st October 11am - 4pm.

Address: Tintagel Old Post Office, Fore Street, Tintagel, Cornwall PL34 0DB

Directions: The Old Post Office is in Fore Street, Tintagel, Cornwall. The village is off the B3263. Park in the village car park. Click here for an interactive map centred on the Old Post Office.

Access: Although there are steps to the entrance and inside, there are ramps available. Braille and large print guides are provided.

Contact:

telephone: 01840 770024

e-mail: tintageloldpo@nationaltrust.org.uk

web site: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-tintageloldpostoffice/