《Nice News》 Thursday • September 28, 2023

World’s oldest working post office in Sanquhar of Scotland. (Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Sanquhar, a tiny village of around 2,000 in southern Scotland, has one major claim to fame: It’s home to the world’s oldest working post office, in operation since 1712. Briefly at risk of closing, the 311-year-old institution, which also serves as a bank for many residents, recently found new owners: Mary and Barry Ford.

The couple, the office’s 17th operators, are originally from the U.K. but lived in Florida for two decades. They learned about the building being up for sale in 2020 and were initially outbid before finally winning this year. “It’s important to us to keep it going for the local area, for tourism, and for the community,” Mary, whose ancestors hailed from the nearby village of Muirkirk, told the BBC.

Mrs Ford has since discovered a connection to the area as her ancestors came from Muirkirk - about 25 miles by road from Sanquhar.

Mr Ford said: "It is a complete different career change for the pair of us - there is a lot of stuff to learn." "It's important to us to keep it going for the local area for tourism and for the community," added Mrs Ford. "We don't want it to close if we can keep it going - especially for the local community because so many other branches of banks are closing." Mr Ford said they had found Sanquhar to be a "very thriving community". "We just hope we can be accepted into it and be part of it," he said.

Nazra Alam ran the establishment for the past eight years alongside her husband Manzoor, who died in November 2022. “Nazra continued running the branch for the Sanquhar community, and the thousands of tourists who visit every year, through her grief and throughout the [COVID-19] pandemic,” said Nick Read, CEO of the U.K. Post Office. “Nazra has been a remarkable postmistress and I hope she enjoys a happy retirement surrounded by her children and grandchildren.”

She has now passed the baton to Mary and Barry Ford, who will have the unique distinction of marking patrons’ mail with the stamp that reads “The World’s Oldest Post Office.”

Barry & Mary Ford. Barry Ford is just the 17th postmaster in more than 300 years at the Sanquhar site.

Sanquhar Post Office is accredited by the Guinness Book of World Records as being the world's oldest post office.Many visitors come to have their letters marked with a special handstamp bearing "The World's Oldest Post Office".

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