Q16.15 – GWR Receiving Offices
A GWR Timetable of 1902 lists their Receiving Offices, which were places where parcels would be received for onward dispatch by train. The vast majority were, of course, on the GW system, but a few, Liverpool, Manchester, Portsmouth & Southampton were in cities at the extremities of the system. However, they had an office at Norwich that was completely distant from the GW network and it would be interesting to know why, and were there ever any other isolated offices? (Edward Mann:10908)
ANSWER GWR Receiving Offices
Member 23132 (Joined very recently) I do not know whether this has been answered or not, however, here goes. The GWR had many through trains where their own carriages would travel to all the outpost stations. In order to carry out receiving they would have their own offices or agents in these towns to ‘receive’ parcels etc for transfer through to the GWR network. In connection with this, the LNWR had agents at Pembroke Dock to do the same. The LNWR ran through carriages to PD which travelled from the likes of Birmingham and Manchester via Shrewsbury, the Central Wales line, over from Llandeilo to Carmarthen where they would be attached to GWR trains to be dropped off at Whitland to be added to the Pembroke & Tenby (up until 1896 at least). Regards Graham Davies