Stanley Post Office – Past and Present

The history of Hongkong Post goes back to the earliest days of the territory when the first post office was established by the colonial government in 1841. In the early 1950s, after more than a century of service, there were only eight post offices in Hong Kong. This network has grown extensively in recent decades to meet the needs of a thriving Hong Kong today.

Hong Kong has a unique place in history and Hongkong Post has a rich tradition of providing a reliable and affordable postal service to the community. The picturesque district of Stanley has proved to be very popular over the years for residents and visitors alike, and Hongkong Post has always been there to meet their postal needs.

Stanley Post Office, which has been in operation since 1937, is the oldest post office still in service. It is still in its original building situated at 2 Wong Ma Kok Road. This is a one-storey pitched-roof structure that is functional, utilitarian and minimalist in style. The building has little decoration, making the ornamental window grilles with the GR insignia all the more noticeable.

Apart from an extension of the building made in the mid 1970s, Stanley Post Office had not seen major changes in seven decades of service to the surrounding community, and renovation works became necessary in order that this historic post office could continue its service.

With this in mind, Hongkong Post embarked on a major restoration project for Stanley Post Office in August 2007. Restoration work was undertaken to preserve and reinstate the original characteristics of the office and keep this as a"time capsule of postal history". A small building with a proud heritage, it has contributed much to the special charm of Stanley over the years and lives on today as a charming tourist attraction as well.

Major restoration work includes reinstalling for display purposes an original manual stamp vending machine and cast iron posting box bearing the royal cipher of King George VI, as well as refurbishing the original window grilles with the GR insignia, all of which were in use at Stanley Post Office at various times over the years.

The counter layout has been rebuilt with grating to resemble its appearance in the early days and the original terrazzo floor, which was a very common finish in the old days, has been carefully restored.

The roof has also been painstakingly renovated. The false ceiling was removed to reveal the original wooden beams and purlins of the roof structure. The exposed inner timbers seen today are the originals installed when the office was first built.

We hope you will enjoy your visit to this historical post office!

Acknowledgements:
Architectural Services Department
Antiquities and Monuments Office, Leisure & Cultural Services Department

November 2007