Three hundred and fifty years ago, whilst storming through Scotland on behalf of God and the English Parliament, Oliver Cromwell made plans to destroy what was left of the once glorious St. Andrews Cathedral.
But a naked volley of Protestant cannon fire might be bad for his legacy, he was advised, so the clever "Lord Protector" devised a more politic scheme: He invited the townspeople to scavenge the Cathedral for building materials -- sort of a 17th Century Home Depot, and more convenient than shopping the local quarry. As a result, many buildings in the adjacent business district contain consecrated rubble.
One such solid mid-1600s building shelters the new Mail Boxes Etc., a bustling courier, postal and document service at 68 Market Street, St. Andrews, owned by Gerry Harris. Amidst his higgily-piggily warren of travelers' aids are three sleek computers connected world-wide by high-speed wire. You can "hire" a keyboard, keep track of your own time, then pay Gerry what you think you owe. He cheerfully sorts the loose change from your sweaty palm's worth of mixed pounds and pence while chattering knowledgeably in a thick brogue about the news of the day. He's biased passionately toward his gleaming stable of Apple Macintoshes, comparing their operation to driving a Porsche. Nonetheless, he generously tolerates the vulgar PC user, patiently and willingly helping the ignorant shift through an unfamiliar electronic gearbox.
We like to think this Scotsman's gentle acceptance of the preferences of others is the ripened fruit of centuries of lessons in bloody religious cruelty, corruption and intolerance. Or maybe he's just a nice guy.
The old fireplace in Gerry's shop was blocked off years ago. On the hearth stands a steel rack of cardboard tubes and mailers. Look closely at the stone work, you can see broken stones from a ruined cathedral window, redeemed ages ago and given new purpose as a place of warmth and comfort for some forgotten St. Andrews family.
That was well over 300 years ago, and it's still a nice place to be.
Photos: Gerry Harris, owner of Mail Boxes Etc. at 68 Market Street, St. Andrews: www.mbestandrews.com . (Photo right) Ruins of the St. Andrews Cathedral, just blocks from the store. (Photo left) Golfer John Dovolos "hires" a computer to email his wife Michelle back home. (Bottom photo) Materials for this fireplace were taken from the St. Andrews Cathedral ruins after Oliver Cromwell suggested doing so. -- That's the story, anyway. To see more photos of the St. Andrews area, follow this link:
