Head Post Office

The Head Post Office, built in the early 20th century, is a large building with a long frontage onto St Thomas Street and a shorter return frontage to Lower St Alban Street. The corner of the building is rounded on a quadrant and features a cupola flanked by high, pedimented gables carried on giant paired Ionic pilasters. The architectural style is a robust Edwardian Baroque, drawing inspiration from the work of Thomas Archer.

The exterior is constructed of Flemish bond brickwork with Portland stone dressings, and a slate roof. The windows are mainly glazing-bar sashes. The pedimented bays flanking the corner have a Palladian window above two deep sashes in architraves, with very deep triple keystones and Gibbsian blocks. The ground floor, in banded ashlar, incorporates a large lunette with a triple light, a bold scrolled keystone, and raised keystones to the architrave. The stone cupola, topped with a ball finial, has four small arched lights under pediments set to the curve, within banded ashlar, above a blind balustrade.

Moulded open pediments with guttae modillions link around the quadrant, featuring three small lights in Doric mullions below the architrave. A sill band connects the giant pilasters and reappears as the sill band for the Palladian lights. At the first floor, there is a single tall sash on each side. A doorway with an open pediment on banded Ionic columns spans the angle, leading to a pair of doors within an arch. The front to St Thomas Street has single and paired sashes in plain reveals, with deep keystones and moulded stone sills at the second floor, stone aprons at the first floor, and arched, moulded surrounds with keystones at the ground floor. A continuous plain stone band runs above the door and window surrounds. In the third bay is a pair of panelled doors in a bolection-mould surround, topped with a small lunette, and another door and surround with a transom panel above. The end bay to the right is slightly set back.

The return frontage is similar, with lunette windows to the ground floor, and includes an inserted bay with a segmental moulded head and banded pilasters, paired with a further doorway. A stone cornice sits above the concealed eaves gutter. The end returns to a brick bay with three windows and a blocked doorway, then recedes to the rear of the main range, which is in painted brick with simpler detailing.

The principal office interior was significantly altered in the late 20th century. The building presents a bold design that dominates a prominent corner position, making few concessions to its surroundings while asserting a firm urban statement.