THE state of the postal service in Malvern was concerning the Malvern Gazette 100 years ago, which devoted its editorial to the topic.

"We understand that nearly 200 influential residents of Malvern - ladies and gentlemen, professional and business men - have signed a respectful request to the Postal Authorities to arrange for an evening delivery of letters on Thursdays.

"At present letters arriving from almost all parts of England, Scotland and Ireland, from the continent and America, reaching Malvern after 3pm have to lie at the Post Office until Friday morning, undelivered to those to whom they are addressed.

"We believe that Worcester and Malvern are the only places in England in which the inconvenience of a close time' for the delivery of letters exists, and, when it was proposed some time ago to dispense with a delivery once a week, the community of Worcester insisted that the afternoon delivery should be taken off and the evening one go on as usual.

"Malvern is this the only town in England where this anomaly occurs. The inconvenience is very great to many of the residents in various ways: shopkeepers, hotel-keepers, lodging-house keepers, doctors, schoolmasters, as well as ordinary householders and visitors, are frequently deprived of important letters for many hours, and losses thereby incurred.

"The afternoon delivery is for the most part one of purely local letters, and if Malvern adopts the Worcester plan, all these will reach their destination in the evening, only four hours late."