From 1861, the postmaster, George Throssell, conducted postal services from his business premises, until local residents began to lobby for a separate post and telegraph office.

In 1892-93 the building was enlarged to a design by George Temple-Poole,[2] but finally replaced by a larger post office in response to successful local petitioning (1905-9).

[1] In February 1905, the federal Postmaster-General's Department made a recommendation that the Northam Post Office be moved to a more convenient location and by July a site had been purchased for £450 from J. Sermon.

[1] The contractors, Messrs Pittman and Totterdill on 10 December 1908, completed construction of the new post office and the building was opened for business on 1 February 1909.

Two red colorbond sheds, one large, are located along the south rear boundary with vehicular access provided by a side laneway and asphalted apron.

The Gordon Street residential wing, in contrast, has a hipped roof and single window facing northeast, and a hooded triple casement below, embodying domesticity on well-established free-style terms associated with the work of Norman Shaw in England.

The weighted trabeated enclosure is framed by thickened columns and linked by a heavily-proportioned plank-frieze which is turned down at the corners to form quadrants over each support.

The northwest corner arcade provides ramped access to the retail shop and that on the south has been altered by the installation of a metal framed and glazed post office box lobby with a dropped plasterboard ceiling.

Located outside the extent of the original building line a steel-framed gantry with a concrete floor has been constructed which is flanked by brickwork toilets and a store.

A refurbished bathroom is located adjacent to the stair on the west side, and a small toilet and screened enclosure has subsequently been built at the south end of the upper balcony.

[1] Externally and internally, Northam Post Office's intactness and integrity are comparatively high with regard to the original conception, material and detail.

The design of the public hall is skilfully manipulated by the introduction of clerestory windows which impart a grand civic scale in an architecturally distinguished building which is a landmark feature in the town and its streetscapes .

The striking building successfully employs contrasting red brick and rendered detailing, including a striation of alternating bands ('blood and bandages').

[1] This Wikipedia article was originally based on Northam Post Office, entry number 105528 in the Australian Heritage Database published by the Commonwealth of Australia 2020 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 4 January 2020.