History

The Old Post Office, as its name suggests, was originally the main post office for the historic market town of Wallingford, and was the second site to be developed by the award-winning Oakman Inns & Restaurants team. The Old Post Office pub and restaurant opened its doors in December 2008.

Peter Borg-Neal is the Chief Executive of Oakman Inns & Restaurants. His vision for the Oakman Inns & Restaurants portfolio of pubs, of which the Old Post Office is the second, is to provide a modern public house and restaurant at the heart of the community. This idea meant meeting the requirements of the contemporary restaurant goer while retaining all the traditional warmth, hospitality and comfort of a local pub. Great food and drink lay at the heart of Peter’s plan.

In 2009, the team behind The Akeman, our first pub, won the Publican Award for the Best Design, and since opening the Red Lion in Water End, near Berkhamsted, in 2009, this site was awarded Italian Food Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Food Awards.

More recently, the group opened The Kings Arms bar, restaurant and hotel in Berkhamsted High Street after a £1.3m refurbishment at the end of 2010, and has acquired The Marlborough Hotel in Witney, Oxfordshire, which is due to reopen after an extensive refurbishment.

About Wallingford

Wallingford is a town steeped in history. From the medieval bridge over the Thames to the grassy banks of its ancient fortifications, it has a colourful past. It's a town of surprises with the bustle of the Market Place and the tranquillity of the quiet back streets.

It was the river that first attracted settlers to the area and in the Bronze and Iron Ages the rich soils encouraged farming communities. Later, the Romans left traces of occupation – burials, roads, coins and pottery – but it was left to the Anglo-Saxons to build the first town and, by 1066, Wallingford was the leading town in Berkshire.

Today Wallingford is a thriving market town with a Friday market and a good mixture of small businesses, long-established family shops, supermarkets, pubs and restaurants that the Old Post Office is proud to be part of.