Gateway to the Glens
The Gateway to the Glens Museum in Kirriemuir, Angus, has launched a new exhibition to mark a double milestone, the 180th anniversary of the founding of the first uniformed postal delivery service and the first issue of the Penny Black stamp.
The world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black was a simple, but revolutionary idea. Featuring a profile of Queen Victoria, it was first issued in the UK on 1 May 1840, but was not valid for use until 6 May. For the price of one penny, the Penny Black allowed letters of up to 14 grams to be delivered at a flat rate of one penny, regardless of distance. They opened up postal delivery and improved communications for all.
Based in the former Kirriemuir Townhouse building, the Gateway to the Glens Museum tells the story of Kirriemuir and the Angus Glens. Their new exhibition takes a look back at Kirriemuir’s postal history from the Post Office in the Townhouse to the Glens Post Bus.
Angus’s contribution to the postal revolution was the idea of making postage stamps adhesive, which had first been suggested in 1838 by James Chalmers from Arbroath, who was an active campaigner for affordable postage for everyone.
When the Royal Mail service was first made available to the public by Charles I in 1635 a major investment in roads infrastructure began to facilitate the movement of mail around the country.
Post offices soon became hubs of their local communities, particularly so in rural areas such as Angus where the postal service was much more than a delivery service, as post buses, such as the one pictured from the 1970s, offered access to the glens for tourists, providing a lifeline for the communities there.
The Gateway to the Glens museum exhibition takes a look back at the life of a Glen’s postman through a collection of objects and photographs kindly donated by retired postman Bill Burness.
