The Village Post Office

Although Church Lawford had a Grocers Shop from early in the nineteenth century, it was only after the Whiteman family then took over as the Village Grocer during the 1870s, that a Post Office was also opened. Prior to that date the local directories advised that the nearest money order office was in Rugby. (In the case of Kings Newnham the 1868 directory advised the nearest money order office was in Brinklow). The 1850 and 1872 directory referenced a Post Office in Kings Newham – with the former locating it at Elizabeth College’s house (other reference have been seen to a Village Shop run by the College family), but the they left the village during the 1850s and there are no references to it in the 1874 directory or in subsequent publications.

The first person to offer Post Office services in Church Lawford was Walter Cooke at the Triangle Garage, who from the 1883 ran a Post & Money Order Office which included a Savings Bank, Annuity and Insurance Office. Details of the Mail Services around that date can be found here.

When Walter Cooke retired in 1890 the Postmaster role passed to Edward Cotton, one of the two grocers in the village at that time. William Whiteman junior was running the Village shop on the Rugby Road, and his family had experience of Post Office roles in Dunchurch, so he was able to take over as village postmaster from around 1894 onwards. This combined shop and post office was located on Rugby Road opposite the Triangle Garage – it is featured on the “OurWarwickshire” website – pictured here – in 1905.

During the First World War the Post Office began to be operated as a separate business. William Jones is listed as the Postmaster from 1915 to 1918. There was also a short spell where Ellen Prue and a Miss Tyres held the postmistress role either side of the villages auction in 1918. The latter person was not seen in any other village records of the time.

In the period after the Great War Telephone Services were introduced to the two villages – as detailed here, with a village telephone kiosk in Church Lawford detailed here. It appears the villages did not get a local telegraph service – with Wolston and Brinklow being the nearest Telegraph office which allowed pulsed messages to be sent point to point linked with a telegram service.

Walter Wright (1883-1944) set up a Post Office business in School Street by shortly after the First World War, opposite the Rectory, continuing during the inter-war period. When the telephone service arrived the Post Office was able to call the Wolston Telegraph Office in order to get them to send a Telegraph Message / Telegram more easily – with the receipt of such messages also possible.

When Walter died his wife Ada carried on the Post Office business for a short while after the Second World War. The Post Office was then run by Dolly Wootton from Newnham Lane for seven years in the 1950s, with Mrs Howells in School Street also listed as postmistress at that time.

As the sixties arrived the Sweeney family ran the shop and Post Office out of Wheatfield, before the combined shop and Post Office relocated to Kings Newnham Road. The following history table of Post Offices in Church Lawford will be updated as more details are established and gaps can be filled.

In December 1988 Molly and Elwyn Jones took over at the Village Shop and Post Office, and ran it for 12 years until their retirement. At that point there was discussion between the Parish Council and the Post Office board about an alternative arrangement for a Post Office in the village, but nothing came of the discussions. The Village Post Box was relocated during 2000 to be next to the Phone Box on the Village Green.