Fox Bay Post Office
Fox Bay Post Office is a museum in Fox Bay, the largest settlement of West Falkland, in the Falkland Islands. The building was Fox Bay's post office until 1988, and today the museum serves as a museum of its onwn history, and of the postal service in the Falkland Islands. It is the southernmost postal museum in the world.
History
The Post Office House at Fox Bay is the oldest remaining post office building in the Falklands. A post office was founded in Fox Bay East in 1899.[1] A small wireless station was opened at Fox Bay in November 1918 and from that date the wireless operator on duty served also as postmaster.
The Post Office is one of the most historically important buildings on West Falkland.[2] The post office remained in this house until about 1988, when it moved into the village store. In 2014, the house was bought by Stefan Heijtz, a world-renown philatelist with a specialism in the stamps of the Falkland islands. He created the museum.
The museum opened in 2016, and was the occasion of a royal visit, by Princess Anne, the Princess Royal.
The museum
The Museum is primarily concerned with the history of the Post Office at Fox Bay, and the displays include a counter with postal artifacts, the old wooden rack of mail boxes, mail bags, the old Post Office safe, as well as information about and pictures of old postmarks and covers sent from Fox Bay from 1899 onwards. One of the more remarkable discoveries was a part impression of one of the old Fox Bay postmarks on one of the floor boards in the Old Post Office.[3]
The displays in the Museum include the history of the house itself, the history of the postal service in Fox Bay (including an article written by the Fox Bay Postmaster between 1909 and 1912), the history of the postmarks used at Fox Bay between 1899 and today and a display of old covers from Fox Bay.
The Museum is open on demand. When Stefan, who is also the Museum Curator, is not in Fox Bay, the Village Agents open the Museum and House to any visitor who wants to have a look.
Outside links
- Fox Bay Post Office – Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust
References
- ↑ Falklands Postal Service Ltd
- ↑ Stanley Gibbons Blog - Post Office Museum Opened in the Falkland Islands
- ↑ Fox Bay Post Office