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Post and Telephone

The village has been served by a Post Office for a long time, but it is only first mentioned in March 1901 when, unfortunately, the Council felt obliged to write to the sub-postmaster at Sherington stating "that complaints have been made about packets being wrongly delivered" and continuing to say "that unless these wrong deliveries cease the Postmaster General will be appealed to" (nb: 'packets' are the post office term for all deliverable material).

Unfortunately by the next meeting in April it was "regretted that no notice has been taken of the Councils letter of March 28th with regard to the postal delivery and this Council will be glad of a reply at once to prevent further action". This resolution was sent to Mr David Feasey, the Sherington sub-postmaster. As no reply had been forthcoming by a fortnight later it was decided that the letter should be copied to Mr Coales, the Postmaster at Newport Pagnell.

It was evident that the Council, by writing both to Mr Feasey and Mr Coales, had stirred up some ill-feelings for it was decided, at the meeting on 2nd May, that the Clerk should write to Mr Coales stating "that they feel it a duty to themselves to utterly repudiate any ill feeling in the matter as implied in Miss Feasey's letter and they ask the Postmaster to request Miss Feasey to withdraw the expression attributing such ill-feeling to the Council or any one connected with it as such a letter as that referred to place a stigma on a public body acting in perfect good faith for the good of the parish". It evidently took a couple of months for the dust to settle on this matter for it was not until July that it was noted that a letter signed by both Mr Coales and Miss Feasey had been received and that "the explanations given is satisfactory to the Council and a letter be written to the Postmaster to that effect".

In September 1903 the Post Office requested that the Council allow a post-box to be affixed to the lamp-post at Church End assuring the Council that no holes would be bored and that the box would be taken away on demand.

The Post Office was open until 8.00pm until October 1909 when the Council were asked if they had any objection (which they did not) to the Post Office closing for public business at 7.30pm.

A public telephone call box, or call office as it is described in the minutes, was considered in April 1920. The provision of this service was in the hands of the postmaster at Stony Stratford and the Clerk was instructed to write to him, nearly a year later in February 1921, and enquire as to the lowest guarantee (it is supposed of revenue) that was required.

In the end the call box was placed, without the Council's prior knowledge or consent, on the Knoll in April 1936. To calm everybody's feelings the Clerk obtained a quit rent from the Postmaster General of 1/- per annum The increase in the size of the village with the building of the new estate in Crofts End created a demand for another post box and in March 1953 the Council that another pillar box be erected in the village nearer this development. The Head Postmaster at Bletchley replied in May 1953 however that "this was not possible as the distance (from the existing box in Church End) was less than that allowed for in rural areas". Two years later the Council tried again to get a second box erected but once again it was told that this could not be done as the existing one was within ½mile.

In a similar vein the Council asked Post Office Telephones to install another kiosk in Crofts End/ Perry Lane area, near to the new council houses. The reply was that Perry Lane was less than ½mile from The Knoll, which box was not heavily used and running at a revenue loss. The Parish Council could however rent a line and call box should they so wish! The reply was 'no'.


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Latest Revision: 31 December 2006