Stanley Post Office Hong Kong

Stanley Post Office is one of Hong Kong's oldest and has recently been restored to its late 1930s condition. Using original fixtures and fittings.

Hong Kong's post office is a careful protector of its heritage and traditions and has recently restored its oldest post office at the southern coastal town of Stanly to its original 1930s condition. The restoration has seen the reinstatement of original counters, window grilles, and the revealing of the 1937 terrazo flooring.

Stanley Post Office Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's postal administration has sensitively renovated its oldest office at Stanley Market.

Snail mail is dead if you believe what the technocrats at Google and the Apple nerds tell us. I for one rue the very mawkishness behind the thought, for me snail mail is very much alive.

Nothing pleases me more than finding a postcard or a personal handwritten letter on the door mat. And I feel upset when I receive one of those impersonal birthday and Christmas e-cards fired off with little thought at the fleeting press of a button on birthdays and at Christmas.

Many postal administrations are struggling to maintain an efficient service in the face of instant messages, email and mobile texting. With the claim of falling revenues and lack of community and sometimes government support some administrations, like in the UK or USA, are closing post offices by the score. But one postal service seems to be proud of its heritage and is determined to maintain its traditions and service by rejecting this defeatist trend.

The Hong Kong post office was established in 1841 and has been going from strength to strength gaining full autonomy in 1937. Since the 1950s the number of post offices has grown and now Hong Kong has an extensive and comprehensive network of offices that cover the whole territory.

One of the ex-colony’s very earliest offices stands at the head of bustling and popular Stanley Market. Built in 1937 Stanley Post Office is Hong Kong’s oldest serving office. It sits at the entrance of the famous Stanley Market and a few metres walk from Stanley beach on the island’s southern coast.

The Stanley office is the island’s oldest working post office occupying the same single storey building as when it opened all those years ago. It is a plain and utilitarian in construction with little in the way of external decoration, except the motif “GR, for George Rex” on the window grilles.

The office has recently been restored with the aim of preserving the office’s essential 1930s character. The small counter and its grille were made to an original design. The terrazzo flooring was re-exposed and wood panelling was recreated to the 1930s pattern. Outside the original George VI stamp vending machine and post box were re-installed in original condition painted post office red unfortunately these are for display only.

Hong Kong’s commitment to providing a first class service and honouring its past is paying off. I recently visited the Stanley Post Office and was pleased to find a queue of tourists patiently waiting to buy stamps and postcards to send to friends and family at home. The younger amongst us were obviously enjoying the novelty of this possibly new experience.

Is snail mail dead? I don’t think so especially if other postal administrations follow Hong Kong in its desire to preserve the past for a secure future.

How did I get to the office? A pleasant frequent bus service from Hong Kong’s central bus station runs through pleasant suburban neighbourhoods and countryside, providing excellent views of the country and coast. The journey takes an hour and stops right outside the Stanley Market and Post Office.

You can find Stanley Post Office at:

No. 2 Wong Ma Kok Road, Stanley, Hong Kong Island.