It was a very hot day in July when we visited Tintagel Old Post Office

The building dates back to 1380, a very long time ago. Originally it just had one storey and one end would have been a barn for animals. It has undergone many changes over the years and became a Post Office in the 1870’s.

It was cool inside the building and gave us some respite from the hot sun outside. The dining table was laid with pewter plates and mugs.

This is the range where meals would have been cooked

We went up the first staircase (there are 2 separate staircases)

We found a bedroom set up as it would have been 150 years ago

We climbed up and had a look out of the window.

Back downstairs we found the sitting room and sat on the rag rug. Therug had been made in recent years but was of the type that would have been found in cottages 150 years ago.

There was another set of stairs going up next to the sitting room which were quite challenging for small bears to climb.

The stairs led to a sleeping platform where unmarried women and girls would have slept. The saying ‘left on the shelf’ (which referred to unmarried older women in past times) refers to the sleeping platform that they used to sleep on and were unable to leave!

Here we are on the platform – it wasn’t very big.

We looked down from the platform at the room below and noticed the old clock above the door and the exposed roof beams.

On the other side of the sleeping platform there is a another bedroom

We thought it all looked very cosy. The walls of the cottage are a metre think so it is well insulated against both hot and cold weather.

After going back downstairs we went out into the garden where there is a well.

We found a minature version of The Old Post Office!

The garden is very pretty and very ‘cottage garden’ in style. It is also a good place to escape from the many tourists who visit Tintagel.

The wiggly roof on The Old Post Office is covered in Cornish slate.

It is only a small garden so we were soon back at the well again!

The Post Box is still in use and a postman collected some letters while we were there.

Before leaving we watched an interesting animated video showing how the use of the building had changed over the last 900 years. At one time it nearly got demolished! I am glad it didn’t as it really is a delightful place.

Do pop in for a visit if you are in the Tintagel area, the Post Office is only small but very interesting.

For more information see https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/tintagel-old-post-office

Horace the Alresford Bear 20/7/2025