World’s oldest post office seeks new owner

The historic post office located in Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway, is on the market for £275,000 as the current owners look to retire in May.

Built in 1712, this post office has been in continuous operation ever since, with the current owners, Dr Manzoor Alam and his wife, Nazra, running things since 2015.

Amanda Jones, Group retail and franchise network director, commented: “The opportunity to be a part of postal history doesn’t come along very often and any new owner would be only the 17th person to run Sanquhar Post Office in over 300 years.”

This is a popular location for postal and philatelic enthusiasts from across the world – beating the second-oldest post office in Stockholm, Sweden by a full eight years – with many visitors keen to have their letters marked with a special handstamp bearing “The World’s Oldest Post Office.”

Commenting on their retirement after five years of ownership, Nazra Alam said: “It’s heart-breaking that we are selling this Post Office, which has many special memories for my husband and I. We have loved our time in Sanquhar and have made many friends in this vibrant community. We’ve served many of our local customers every day for the past five years as well as meeting people from all over the world who have come to take pictures outside and with us at this historic branch.”

The Sanquhar post office comes complete with a three-bed cottage included in the asking price. Currently, those looking for an ordinary residential mortgage with 25% deposit or equity can take advantage of a NatWest mortgage fixed at 1.25% until 30 June 2022 before reverting to a variable rate of 4.24% (3.8% APRC) for the remainder of the term. This deal is also available through intermediaries, while both carry the incentive of £250 cashback and are available to first and second-time buyers.

Those buying the post office in Sanquhar as a going concern would need to consider a commercial mortgage rather than a residential one.