Friday, March 29, 2019

La poste..



Taking mon amie française Marie home after our sumptuous brunch on Wednesday, it was impossible not to stop and take a few shots of the old Guildford Post Office, glowing softly pink in the autumn sunshine. Built in 1897 the post office doubled for a while as the local telephone exchange. Directly opposite the railway line, the noise would have been a challenge.. a quote from a former switchboard operator.. 'In wartime, the trains were often filled with soldiers and, rather than shouting over the noise we used to just up and go to the balcony and wave to the soldiers going by. As soon as the train had gone we would rush back to our desks and there would be little shutters flapping everywhere and you didn't know which call to take first'. I can imagine that scene so clearly.  Tomorrow I'll show you inside, you might be surprised 😉 Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..


20 comments:

  1. Beautiful building Grace. I had to laugh at the switchboard operator's quote.

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  2. It's lovely! And what a beautiful color!

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  3. ...what a gorgeous building!

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  4. What a lovely old building. The wartime scene soundslike they enjoyed it. Hope all is well on your side of the world. Diane

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  5. That is a beautiful old building with a lot of character. I can't wait to see inside.

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  6. ce lieu semble pourtant si paisible. C'est un très beau bâtiment dans un automne qui semble très doux

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  7. What a terrific anecdote from the former switchboard operator. I know exactly what she means about the shutters.

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  8. Interesting bits of history, thank you I love learning about the past. I read your comment today and yes I'm okay, everything is great and still posting, in fact I posted this Tuesday!

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  9. It is a pretty building and the location is perfect. Loved the info about the telephone operators and the soldiers.

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  10. What a beautiful old building!
    My mother was a switchboard operator. I can imagine the scene you describe.

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  11. It really is pink, Grace! It must´ve been sad to wave soldiers good-bye. But I look forward to see the inside for sure, oui!

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  12. I was struck by the lovely sunshine in this photo.

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  13. That lovely pinkish building looks so beautiful, especially bathed in sunshine.

    Janis
    GDP

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  14. It is a very pretty building and a nice story to it. Can't wait to see the inside.

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