Penny Black

There has always been a postal service in Goffs Oak and its existence is one of those things we take for granted.
When asked when it all started, often the reply will be that it all began with the Penny Black in 1840. You may also find the name Roland Hill mentioned as the postmaster at the time. Unfortunately this is not true and only one small part of the story.

Originally the only letters carried were those to and from the King and Royal Court. It wasn’t until 1635 that Charles I extended the use of the Royal Mail to the public and the first postmark was introduced in 1660. Postal rates were calculated on distance and the number of sheets in the letter.
The whole process was expensive so that only the wealthy could afford to send letters. In 1680 a penny local post was introduced in London. This was the first prepayment for letters. Previously letters were paid for by the recipient. It is interesting to note the penny post was increased to 2nd, in 1801, the government using the extra money to help to finance the war against Napoleon.

Sir Rowland Hill

The greatest reform of the postal service did indeed come in 1840, instigated by Rowland Hill. He suggested that it would be better to charge by weight rather than the number of sheets and that a convenient way of paying would be by marking the letter with a small piece of paper that had a glue backing.

So what effect did those 19th century reforms have on Goffs Oak? Remembering that at the beginning of the 20th century Goffs Oak was still a very small, mainly agricultural village, so it seems unlikely that there would have been any call here for a Post Office. However there was an air of expectancy, generated by the possibility the Great Northern Railway coming to Goffs Oak and the increased trade resulting from having a railway station here. In 1890, in anticipation of this event, three shops were built. One was a stationers, which became our first Post and Telegraph Office.

Goffs Oak Village Post Office c1910

Kelly’s directory of 1890 names the postmaster as Henry Joyner Baker. Unfortunately Lady Meux of Theobalds would not agree to the railway crossing her estate so that in 1910 the line was finally built to pass through Cuffley. Despite this setback the Post Office survived in the same location until the 1930s. It was then moved to the Willow cottages in Newgatestreet Road. The end cottage had been converted to a general store run by a local builder Mr Harold Munn.

Goffs Oak Post Office 1930s - 1950s

At the end of the 1950s the Post Office reverted to its original location in Goffs Lane where it remains today. The shop in Willow Cottages, which at the time of the move had been a haberdashers, went through a series of owners and in recent years has housed businesses including a Central Heating Firm, Insurance Broker, Estate Agent and is now the Gentry Salon.