New Place for a New Blackpool Post Office

2021 saw a new place for a new Blackpool Post Office. Now it’s located at Bickerstaffe Square – just around the corner of the main entrance to the Blackpool Council offices.

It opened at 1pm on 19 April 2021, following the closure of the Post Office situated in WH Smiths at Bank Hey Street.

The new Blackpool Post Office address is 2B Bickerstaffe Square, Talbot Road. Postcode FY1 3AZ if you need it for sat-nav! It’s handy for Sainsbury’s, Blackpool North Station and the new tram interchange which opens in 2023.

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New Place and New Features for a New Blackpool Post Office

The new Talbot Road Post Office also includes a cards, gifts and stationery store. It’s a 1,055 sq ft (98 sq m) retail unit on the ground floor of the Council’s town centre headquarters at Bickerstaffe House.

There’s three serving positions – a mixture of one screened and one open plan. A Post Office serving point is provided for use at the retail counter and available during shop opening hours. 

This new location is near Sainsbury’s and other shops. The premises were built in 2014 and there is 30 minutes free parking and paid parking close by, with disabled bays.      

• Later closing times. Monday to Saturday: 9am – 5.30pm. This is an extra 30 minutes of Post Office service a day than previously.
• Customers of main UK banks can access accounts at new branch
• Services include bill payment, cash withdrawals and foreign currency, postage, home shopping collections and returns

and a New Postmaster

The new Postmaster is award-winning Azim Shaikh, who already is Postmaster for Whalley.     

Mr Shaikh said, “We are delighted to secure the unit at Bickerstaffe House, retaining a centrally located position within the town. A Post Office is the heart of a community, and it’s vital that the local community can continue to access essential post office services, as the branch acts as a lifeline to many local residents.

“We listen to what our customers want and offer a vibrant business such as banking services, click and collect and dry cleaning services. We are investing in a quality finish for the unit and aim to provide an inviting space and a warm, friendly welcome.”

Keep it in the family

Azim’s two brothers will also be involved with this new branch in Blackpool. Fazail Shaikh is the Postmaster for Colne and Ramiz Shaikh is the Postmaster for Skipton Road, Colne. Together they already run three very successful Post Offices in Lancashire. They have 25 years retail experience and 15 years of Post Office experience.

Azim Shaikh was selected out of six other contenders to run the branch. Mr Shaikh has also been nominated for best small business of the year in the Ribble Valley, with a 5 star Google rating and excellent customer reviews.

He also won the Post Office’s ‘We’re Stronger Together’ regional awards for the North of England region this year in the Local Hero category for his charitable work during the Coronavirus whilst ensuring that his branch remained fully open. 

Previous Blackpool Post Office Locations

You’ll remember the previous location for the Post Office was in the basement of the WH Smiths store on Bank Hey Street. It had operated there for some years, before the store closed in January 2021 with services transferred to Bickerstaffe House.

Before that the site of the GPO as it was once known, was at Abingdon Street. Various plans have been put forward over the years to save this special old building. Now, with funding secured plans can go ahead to create a new hotel and leisure facility.

Back in the mists of time…

George Cooke started Blackpool’s first Post Office way back in 1780. Opened together with a Lending Library it began adjoining Lane End House. Initially he carried letters to and from Kirkham, three times a day by Foot Post – then later by horse. By 1807 the service was daily. Later, he set up a link to Preston via both Poulton and Kirkham. Cooke was one of the town’s very first entrpreneurs – the first of thousands.

George Cooke’s Post Office moved down Church Street and became a receiving office for the Preston Penny Post.

You can still see the ghost of Blackpool’s third Post Office at the corner of Coronation Street and Church Street (below) – this one was rebuilt in 1877.

It’s interesting what you see, when you look up, down and around you… Have you spotted this bit of original architectural brickwork, perched above the modern shop front of Beaverbrooks at Church Street?

Run by Alice Carter it had its own Savings Bank and a popular public Reading Room on the first floor. It later became the Labour Bureau.

A fourth Post Office and telephone exchange opened in Coronation Street on 5 December 1892, next to the shop. It closed in 1910 and the building later became part of the Marks and Spencer’s store. (Presumably the loading bay/collect by car space).

Abingdon Street Post Office was the fifth one to be opened – on 2 June 1905. It replaced the out-dated office on Coronation Street and Church Street. Officially opened on 8 November 1910, the Sorting Office on Edward Street opened shortly afterwards.

On 12 September 2007 it closed the doors for a final time, despite a public outcry. However, a new in-store post office opened the day afterwards in WH Smith on Bank Hey Street. The sorting office at Edward Street continued to be used until 2015 when facilities moved to a purpose built building at Faraday Way, Bispham.