Parcels: How it used to be

One of the house group committee members recalls how parcel deliveries used to happen:

Barbican flats were built with two hatches by each front door - one for garbage collection (still in use) and the other for milk and package deliveries, now disused. The postman borrowed a barrow and hatch key from the CPA, and post was individually delivered to each flat. Where an item required a signature of receipt or was too large for the hatch, but the tenant was not at home, undeliverable items were received by the CPA when returning the barrow and key. 

This sensible practise saved the postman time by not having to fill out non-delivery cards nor take the item back to the sorting office, and saved the tenants from a tedious followup trip there.