The team at Mander Duffill are now settled into their new home in the Market Place in Chippenham.
The Old Post Office was originally opened in June 1959 by Sir David Eccles, who was then President of the Board of Trade and MP for Chippenham. Until its closure in 2012 it was a focal point of the town, housing the ‘GPO’, sorting office and, at one time, the area telephone exchange. Mander Duffill have refurbished and extended the iconic building sympathetically, trying to retain as much of the Post Office heritage as possible, including original safes, weighing scales, art and signage – but not the queues!
Julian Duffill, Managing Partner, said “Chippenham town centre is thriving and is our home. People have been wondering what was happening to such an important building in the town. We are really pleased to have brought The Old Post Office back to life and created a great space for our growing team to work in.”
The opening has been celebrated with a series of open evenings for clients, local businesses and town representatives, where a total of over 200 guests were given a tour of the building. The guests included Bob Hitchens who was the Manager of the GPO and worked in the building for over 30 years, where he met his wife Alison (Both pictured below with Julian Duffill) . Bob said “There has obviously been a great deal of thought gone into the refurbishment with some very tasteful touches, keeping the theme of the Post Office, or GPO as it was when I joined in 1965. It is so good to know that the building is back in use and looking better than ever.”