8, Lowther Street

No. 8 Lowther Street is a former Post Office that later became a public house. It was built in 1863 for Her Majesty's Office of Works by J Williams of London, with additions made in 1899. The building features calciferous sandstone ashlar on a chamfered painted plinth, with part quoin bands and panelled pilasters. It has a string course, cornice, and a solid parapet, with a roof hidden by the parapet and red brick ridge and end chimney stacks. The structure is three storeys high and has three bays extending back in an open plan. The left side has double panelled doors with an overlight, and there are three casement windows with panelled aprons. An overall sign board is supported by stone pilasters that divide each window and door. The first-floor features round-arched sash windows in stone architraves with panelled aprons, while the second-floor windows have eared surrounds and aprons with roundels.

The interior has been completely refurbished in a Victorian style. Historically, the site was home to the Butchers' Arcade in 1844. Plans for this building can be found in the Cumbria County Record Office dated 1863. According to the Carlisle Journal from 1899, an additional storey was planned to match the height of the adjoining Athenaeum. In 1916, it became the first State Managed pub in Carlisle, known as 'The Gretna Tavern', and later changed its name to 'The Shambles' in the 1970s and 'The Post Public House' in the 1980s.