We aim to provide our customers with an excellent service when sending or receiving mail via the Post Room. The information provided below gives details about the service we offer, to ensure that your items are delivered, collected and dispatched efficiently.
The Colchester Campus Post Room will be closed daily between 1.30 and 2.30pm from Monday 18 to Friday 29 August. During this hour each day, it will not be possible to collect post from the Post Room.
The post room is located in 4N.3.0, on floor 3. It can be accessed by taking the lift situated inside entrance 4NW, next to the Campus Shop.
Our normal opening hours are:
The post room is open Monday to Friday all year round, excluding bank holidays and the University closure period between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The post room is located in The Gateway Building at the Ground Floor Reception Desk.
University of Essex
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
CO4 3SQ
University of Essex Southend Campus
Elmer Approach
Southend on Sea
SS1 1LW
From Monday 11 November 2024 the physical collection and delivery service to centrally located departments will be temporarily suspended. Internal mailings will not be accepted.
If you are sending post, all mail must
Large mailing must be scheduled by emailing the post room with a minimum of 7 day's notice.
If you are collecting post, please note that
A delivery and collection service will continue to be provided to Essex Sport, Clingoe House, Wivenhoe House Hotel, and John Tabor buildings.
Deliveries are currently suspended to centrally located departments.
Items requiring a signature will be delivered to your department or section and will need to be signed for by an available member of staff. If the item is personal mail, you will need to collect the item from the Post Room. We will notify you when we receive any items of personal mail requiring a signature.
Should you order any items, please ensure that the incoming mail is correctly addressed with your name, room number and department or section clearly visible on the front of the envelope (or in the window of the envelope) to enable our staff to identify the correct destination of mail received quickly.
The Post Room aims to process and dispatch all mail on the same day it is submitted.
Please place any mail for despatch by the Post Room in the correct mail bag provided.
Customers should stamp the back of their envelope or package with the name of their department or section. Identifier stamps can be ordered via Central Stores or direct from the stationery supplier.
Customers are not required to detail the return address as this is included in the franking mark which is applied by the Post Room when the mail is processed.
Customers should ensure a completed postal slip is attached to their mail.
The weight capacity limits for the franking machines are as follows:
Colchester Campus: 10kg
Southend Campus: 2kg
The courier service between the three campuses is temporarily unavailable.
It is recommended that staff send mail using the postage options detailed in the below section.
For transportation of large items such as event furniture or bulky equipment, please contact the Post Room to submit a request, providing a minimum of one week’s notice. Requests will be considered on an ad-hoc basis, subject to the availability of resources.
The following postal options are available;
All mail is processed using a second class postage tariff.
Recorded Delivery labels are available from the post room on request. When you complete the label, please make a note of the reference number shown at the bottom of each slip.
Please ensure you attach the completed Recorded Delivery label to the envelope with a paperclip or, if the item is a package, attach with an elastic band.
Special Delivery labels are available from the post room on request. When you complete the label, please make a note of the reference number shown at the bottom of each slip.
Please ensure you attach the completed Special Delivery label to the envelope with a paperclip or, if the item is a package, use an elastic band.
Special Delivery items need to be with the Post Room by 3.00pm to guarantee next day delivery by 1.00pm.
The cost of Special Delivery items includes compensation claim of up to £500 for lost or damaged items.
This service is more expensive than Recorded Delivery. Therefore, if you are considering using Special Delivery only because you need traceable delivery, Recorded Delivery is more cost effective.
Special Delivery labels are available from the Post Room on request. When you complete the label, please make a note of the reference number shown at the bottom of each slip.
Please ensure you attach the completed Special Delivery label to the envelope with a paperclip or, if the item is a package, use an elastic band.
The maximum weight for Special Delivery (9.00am) items is 2kg and these items need to be with the Post Room by 3.00pm to guarantee next day delivery by 9.00am.
The cost of Special Delivery items includes compensation claim of up to £500 for lost or damaged items.
This service is more expensive than Recorded Delivery and Special Delivery with a 1.00pm guaranteed delivery time. Therefore, if you are considering using this only because you need traceable delivery, Recorded Delivery is more cost effective.
Please note that the University Post Room is no longer able to offer International Royal Mail Tracked item services. We can now only send international parcels and letters via standard Airmail, which does not include tracking. If your item requires tracking, you will need to arrange postage online through the Royal Mail website or take it directly to a Royal Mail Post Office. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.
Bulk mailings are consignments exceeding 50 items of identical mail, or 10 items of Recorded Delivery, Special Delivery or International (Signed For) mail.
If you are planning a bulk mail consignment, please notify the Post Room by email 24 hours in advance in order that we can ensure the consignment can be processed on the day that we receive it.
Bulk mailings must arrive in the Post Room before 2.00pm if same day processing is required. Bulk mailings arriving in the Post Room after 2.00pm will be processed for next day dispatch.
All bulk mailings will be processed with a second class postage tariff.
We are happy to provide you with advice and information regarding your bulk mail consignment to ensure the most cost effective solution for your mailing. This includes;
Some departments and sections manage their own postage budget. These customers must complete a postage slip for each item or batch of mail, detailing the charge code to be used on each occasion.
Other departments and sections have a devolved budget that is managed by the post room. This budget covers the cost of postage only. If you have more than one postage charge code, please complete a postage slip (.pdf) for each item or batch of mail, detailing the charge code to be used.
The following items are recharged;
The post room will not cover the cost of any items sent from the Post Office. Any cost incurred will be the responsibility of the department or section.
Personal mail items are not processed by the post room. You should take these to a local Post Office.
2 Hythe Quay, Colchester CO2 8JB
Monday - Friday: 9am -1pm and 1.30pm -6pm
Saturday: 9am - 1pm
Wivenhoe Cross
40 The Cross, Wivenhoe, CO7 9QL
Monday - Friday: 9am - 5.30pm
Saturday: 9am - 1pm
The post room does not issue pre-printed franked labels.
The post room will not process any item classified as hazardous, or appearing to be hazardous, or otherwise proscribed for posting. Please note that specific rules apply to airmail postal and courier carriage. Please refer to the Royal Mail guidance on prohibited and restricted items.