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Carvings believed to be from the Old Post Office, now in Russell Court

Old Post Office, Petty Cury / Brazen George

History of Old Post Office, Petty Cury

This was the site in medieval times of the Hostel or Inn for students known as the Brazen George. In the reign of henry VI (1445-6) it became the property of Geoffrey Neville, who had sold his house (where students lived) to the King for the site of King’s College, on condition of another equally good location being found for him.

14th century Cambridge map

The Brazen George was given to Christ’s College by its third Master (1511-17) Dr Thomas Thompson, who had been a member of Pembroke. It was long used as as a dwelling place for some of the scholars of Christ’s. Thompson also gave the house adjacent to the Brazen George, named after successive tenants ‘Scocroft’s’ and ‘Troilus Atkinson’s’.

The Brazen George pub sign

A report to Archbishop Laud in 1636 points out that students of Christ’s College are living at the hostel despite University statutes that require them to live in the college.

1805

A room in the yard of the Brazen George was one of the first places that Methodists met for worship in Cambridge from 1805. As the King’s Ditch ran close by, this early Wesleyan meeting house was known as ‘the Black Ditch’. A Society was formed which by 1811 numbered 80 members. It was decided to build a chapel in Barnwell, at 133 Fitzroy Street.

Circa 1850 the post office was moved to this site from 44 Sidney Street.

1891

Edward E Stutters, custodian of G P O

Ellen Ellis

Edward E

Old Post Office, St Andrew’s Street and Post Office Terrace c.1900 (MoC61/68)

 

Left ImageRight Image

 

Front of Post Office Terrace: drawing by Slim Smith from The Lion Yard (1974) based on photo above

Post Office, 1897, Diamond Jubilee 22 June. (Scott and Wilkinson) (MoC)

1901 General Post Office

Edward Elborn Stutters, 53, custodian

Ellen, 38, b Yorks

Edward E, 14, b Cambridge

Petty Cury c.1910 Post Office on left

1913

The General Post Office, A Sirett superintendant

1962

Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance

Cambridgeshire County Council Welfare Foods Distribution Centre

Overseas Services Club

Overseas Services Courses

Inscription next to salvaged carvings

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License

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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