After 17 years of missing deliveries and confused delivery drivers I have finally taken some action. I’ve changed our postcode! I didn’t realise you could do this until I noticed that several places I go to have a unique postcode identifying their exact location. Why would I need this? Well it’s because our current postcode HP1 3AT directs drivers into Piccotts End village whereas we are marooned the other section of the road leading into Hemel Old Town. The problem was caused when the road was cut in two by the building of Link Road back in the 1980s.
‘I’m in Piccotts End and I can’t find Marchmont Cottage’ is the usual lament of the lost delivery driver. Even our number, 27, isn’t much help because numbers 1-26 don’t exist and the next numbered house in the chain is 42 which is in the village itself. Much explaining later the driver eventually arrives. But some can’t be bothered to ask and so we often get a call from the Marchmont Arms or Marchmont Farm saying that a package has been left there addressed to us.
Only our regular postman knows where we are and he’s had many years of practice! So last week I emailed Royal Mail and explained our problem. Almost by return they agreed we had reasonable grounds for requesting a change of postcode and so very soon we will be HP1 3FA. It will take a few months for this to filter through to satnavs, google maps and so on but I’m hoping that by Christmas all our delivery problems will be over.