THE year was 1900 when this shot was taken of the Prestwich mail coach with the staff of Prestwich Post Office.

The royal cypher, VR, can be clearly identified on the side of the horse-drawn coach.

Fifty years previously, the postal arrangements in Prestwich were not so elaborate and efficient.

Then, a solitary postman named Waterson, who would be dressed in a scarlet coat and a gold-laced hat, brought the letters having to walk all the way from Manchester every morning, except Sundays.

On his way, he would travel through Cheetham Hill, Heaton Park and Besses o' th' Barn and would return in the afternoon via Bury New Road through Prestwich.

He would call at Mrs Hubbert's shop at the corner of Church Lane for letters that were left for him to convey to the head offices in Manchester.

Many of the families who lived locally were provided with letter bags, which were carried for the Royal Mail coach running by way of Bury Old Road between Manchester and Burnley daily.

These bags were collected and delivered at the road side by the owners or their servants, who waited to receive or deliver them to the guard as the coach swept along.

The first post office in Prestwich was located at the shop of Thomas Blinkhorn, who was in charge.

In 1902, the post office was moved to Longfield and stayed there until it moved to its present location in Kingswood Road.

By 1902, Prestwich had 12 pillar and wall boxes. There were, amazingly, five collections and three deliveries daily. Eleven postmen and three telegraph messengers were employed.