The Postal Museum

The Postal Museum stands in Clerkenwell, London, near the Mount Pleasant sorting office. It opened in 2017 on the site of a former mail centre. The museum is run by the Postal Heritage Trust, an independent charity. It manages three sites across England, including a store in Essex and a post office museum in Shropshire. The main building in Phoenix Place shows how the Post Office’s work has changed over time. The museum holds the Royal Mail Archive, begun in the 19th century when the first archivist was appointed. It includes telegrams from the night the Titanic sank and Freddie Mercury’s childhood stamp album. A 1-kilometre stretch of Mail Rail, the world’s first driverless electric railway, runs beneath the museum. Items like an intercepted first edition of Ulysses and a commemorative Scotland 1978 World Cup stamp are on display. The archive is recognised as nationally important and open to researchers. Visitors walk through galleries showing postal equipment, uniforms and vehicles. A lift takes them down to the Mail Rail tunnels, where small electric trains once carried mail. The route follows part of the old underground line beneath London. The museum also hosts events and education programmes. Outside, the area around Phoenix Place reflects Clerkenwell’s history near the old sorting office.