Lizard Post Office to close December: building up for sale

The retirement of Len and Lynda Trott after 36 years, following three generations of the Tiddy family before them, will see the end of an era for the village.

Despite extensive efforts by the couple to sell the business as a going concern, and the Post Office continuing to advertise, as things stand the post office will close at the start of next month – although Lynda plans to continue the shop until the New Year, to run down stock and help locals in the run up to Christmas.

It will be an emotional day for the couple, who have seen their own family grow there over the years – their daughter Victoria born during this time – while supporting so many others.

Lynda and Len have been at the post office for 36 years (Image: Lizard Lives Gazette) Lynda said: “The village have been fantastic. They don’t want us to go obviously, but they’re on our side saying, ‘You must think of yourselves.’ “We have been wanting to retire now for some time now and we were trying to relocate it to somewhere else in the village – another business who could run it.

“We were trying to stay on until we could find a buyer, but circumstances have changed. We have got to the stage where we have to look after ourselves now.”

Len is now 79 and Lynda in her mid 60s, and with ill health in the mix it is time to call it a day.

The building is up for sale with Miller Commercial and Miller Countrywide, both as a business and as a private property.

With five bedrooms, two bathrooms and two reception rooms - as well as the post office itself, complete with original wooden counter - it is on the market for £575,000 and Lynda said it had huge potential for the right person.

Inside the post office with original wooden counter (Image: Miller Countrywide/Zoopla) “Whatever their situation, there’s so much scope, there really is. We’re reluctant to leave it but there’s only two of us.

“It’s a lovely building,” she added.

Built in the late Victorian period, work started in 1897 and concluded in 1898.

It was built as a post office, for the builder’s son to be sub postmaster.

Over the years it has diversified into additional businesses, including a milliners at one point and then a bed and breakfast on the first floor, with the family at that time living on the top floor. What is now the lounge also contains an oven where is thought they baked bread.

The post office was first established at The Lizard by the Tiddy family, with subsequent generations continuing to run it until Len and Lynda took over from Mike and Christine Tiddy.

The Lizard Post Office is now up for sale (Image: Miller Countrywide/Zoopla) Lynda recalls that shortly after she and Len took over at the post office, in 1988, the village was celebrating Armada Day – the 400th anniversary of the Spanish Armada.

Inundated with people wanting to pick up their First Day Covers (a specially designed envelope produced for newly issued postage stamps, postmarked on the first day that they were placed on sale) Mike offered to help Len stamp them – while Lynda, with only a few days’ training, was left to run the shop.

“I was really thrown into the deep end having to serve,” she laughed.

The Lizard Post Office has also appeared on a number of First Day Covers itself – to mark 100 years of the Post Office in 1998, as well as one celebrating remote post offices.

The post office will close at 5pm on Wednesday, December 4. After that the nearest post offices to the village will be at Ruan Minor and Mullion.

The building is in the heart of the village (Image: Miller Countrywide/Zoopla) Post Office Limited continues to advertise for someone to take over the service, with a letter from Matthew Wells, area change manager, saying: “The provision of a post office service to our customers in the community is important to us and we will continue to work hard to restore services in the area as soon as possible.

“We would welcome any applications from potential retail partners interested in running a branch locally on our behalf.

“The vacancy is currently being advertised on our website www.runapostoffice.co.uk and applications will be carefully considered.

“I would like to reassure you that we are working hard to keep any period of closure to a minimum and we are currently investigating the options available which will enable us to reinstate a post office service to the local community.

“In exploring this, it is important that any future service is sustainable for the person operating the service and for Post Office Limited.”

Ruan Minor Post Office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm, and Saturday 9am to 12.30pm, closed Sunday.

Mullion Post Office, based in the Co-op, is open Monday to Sunday, 7am to 11pm.