Old Post Office, Chathill

"The Post Office building replaced the post office building beside Ellingham School (Rose Cottage). Originally post was collected at the Rose Cottage site from the coastal area and then taken to the Great North Road (Edinburgh - London) where Royal Mail carriages would pick it up. There was a post beside the railway line at Chathill on which a bag containing the post was hung. As the mail train passed by it was collected by being hooked off the post into the train. A The Post Office was built in 1900 next to Chathill Station when the era of railways took over the collection of post. It was owned by Sir Carnaby Haggerston and rented out to Mr Rieverly, the Post Master. The post men used to collect post from Fleetham – Newham – Henhill- Rayheugh – Rosebrough – Newham buildings – Ellingham –Chathill by bicycle each weekday (22 miles). In 1960 Geoffrey and Norma Radpath bought the Post Office and lived there for 40 years. At the beginning a van picked up the mail at 7 am in the morning from the hamlets and the mail collected would be bagged and put on the 8 am train for Newcastle. A bag would arrive by train at the station in the afternoon with parcels and letters to distribute." (Ellingham Neighbourhood Plan.)