Port Louis
General Post Office
Some facts about the General Post Office
The very first postal service in Mauritius dates back to 1772, when the island was under French rule. At that time slaves were used to deliver letters to their respective recipients. There were no physical building to serve that purpose but just the service of delivering letters to other recipients. However, it fell into disuse and was revived by the British in 1834, and began to function in January 1835; inland letters were delivered three times a week. The Central Post Office (former building, not the new one) was then located on´La Chaussée` and operated as from July 1836. The island's first postage stamps were issued in 1847.
Located in the Capital City of Port Louis, the new Central Post Office (also known as the General Post Office) dates back since the early Colonial period. The building was erected in 1868, but was inaugurated in December 1870 by Governor Gordon. This imposing historic structure has served as the main post office of Mauritius and for more than a century, as the office of the Postmaster-General. The building now acts as a Postal Museum showing the history of the Postal Services in Mauritius ranging from old stamps to even some history of the Mauritius Government Railways as previously the Postal Services were effected through railway stations acting also as Post Offices in a certain way. Notice the railway line passing in front of the building in the picture above.
The General Post Office was decreed a national monument in 1958 through Government Notice No.614 by Governor Sir Robert Scott, based upon the recommendation of the Ancient Monuments Board. Almost three decades later, it was reconfirmed as a national monument through the National Monuments Act of 1985. More recently, the General Post Office was listed on the "National Monuments of Mauritius" which is a schedule attached to the National Heritage Fund Act (No.40) of 2003. Today, it is considered to be one of the most important national heritage in the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Buffer Zone and the city of Port Louis.
The General Post Office, or often referred to as "la post centrale" by Mauritians, consists of large stone blocks as well as of thick iron and wooden beams which are embedded in the structure. The front part of the building has five arches and the words "Post Office" are written in the Oxford style. The inscription of the date '1868 A.D' is also clearly seen. Between 1847 and 1870, the postal headquarters of British Mauritius was known as the Postmaster Building and it was located in central Port Louis. In 1853, Reverend Patrick Beaton, a British missionary and visitor, mentioned that the old Postmaster Building was situated on Government Street near to Government House.Other Post offices
