Sanquhar Post Office taken over by new owner

A new postmaster has taken over the running of the world's oldest post office.

Dr Manzoor Alam will be behind the counter of the historic facility when it reopens in Sanquhar on Tuesday, following a refurbishment.

His appointment secures the future of the post office, which has been in continuous service since 1712.

The stamp collector and postal historian, from Birmingham, also plans to open a postal museum in the village.

He was appointed to the position in December but has only recently taken up the post.

He said he wanted to preserve the history of the post office.

"To me it makes me feel really privileged that we have been able to do that," he said.

"And we are looking forward to improving it further through a postal museum because there is no postal museum in Scotland."

Sanquhar Post Office started out as a staging post for mail carriages, with the old stables behind the branch thought to have once provided a resting place for horses drawing the mail carriages.