The Old Post Office

One of the most characterful buildings in Cornwall, and a house of great antiquity, this small 14th century manor is full of charm and interest. Tumble roofed and weathered by the centuries, it is restored in the fashion of the Post office it was for nearly 50 years.

Tintagel's Old Post Office is one of the few remaining picturesque buildings in the area, most of the old cottages were demolished to make way for hotels and lodging houses during the 19th century, as new Victorian interest in Tintagel Castle and the Legend of King Arthur.

Now in the care of the National Trust, the building has been carefully restored. This small 14th century cottage was converted in 1844 into a letter receiving office for the district. The post room, which closed in 1892, has been fitted out as a Victorian post office. The cottage dealt with incoming mail only, after the introduction of the penny post in 1844, drastically improved the communications between this remote part of Cornwall and the rest of the country. The interior of the cottage has been furnished with oak; furniture of the type that would have been found in local cottages.

The cottage was constructed of locally quarried slate. A walk along the coastline from Tintagel towards Trebarwith Strand to the west, or any drive along the adjacent country Lanes, will take you past numerous old Slate Quarries. The cottage is a rare survival of local domestic architecture.