The work of these brave men – as well as the scandals – have now been brought to life in an London exhibition (Picture: The Postal Museum)
While Amazon makes drone deliveries in the States and many of us in the UK receive items bought online the same day, it’s hard to imagine a postal service that relied on a pair of oars and a river.
However, at at the start of the 19th century, many Londoners did just that.
In 1800, a waterman named William Simpson was employed to deliver mail to the many barges and ships that moored on the River Thames. It was a dangerous job and Simpson’s tiny skiff offered little protection from collision with boats and barges – or the enormous propellers of huge ships travelling from international waters.
The Thames in those days was lively and overcrowded with houseboats, barges, sailing vessels and other river-dwellers. Simpson’s role became a vital one in the life of the river, and it was passed down from father to son across seven generations and two families.
The work of these brave men – as well as the scandals – have now been brought to life at London’s Postal Museum after the grandson of the last River Postman donated his family letters and photos.
‘It was my intention to create a display in the museum on this fascinating subject, and it was clear that Clifford – the youngest Grandson of Herbert Lionel Evans, the last Thames River Postman – had a lot of great content,’ explains Stuart Aiken, Curator at The Postal Museum.
‘Clifford donated a wealth of family history material to the museum, which has helped us to understand and tell this story in our exhibitions in a personal way.’
The River Postman was responsible for delivering and collecting letters from the various vessels on the river, delivering goods and occasionally ferrying people. Operating on the river with its many dangers was no ordinary postal round however. They had to manage the tide, winds, cold and fog – not to mention the ships and barges – making this a perilous task and one that required high levels of skill (Picture: The Postal Museum)
The first River Postman, William Simpson, initiated the job of River Postman. He sent a letter, backed, and signed by many merchants, captains and owners, to the Post Office claiming that it would ‘greatly facilitate business’ for this role to exist. Here, later River Postman George Henry Evans is pictured in the skiff in which the postmen navigated the choppy waters of the Thames (Picture: The Postal Museum)