The Postal Museum, London

Bloomsbury

Overview

Times

Wed-Sun 10am-5pm; closed 9 dec

Duration

2-3 hours

Age

Opened to all

Accessibility

Please contact venue

Location

The Postal Museum and Mail Rail

Address
15-20 Phoenix Place
London
WC1X 0DA
Telephone:
+44 (0)300 030 0700
Email
[email protected]

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About

Travel back through London’s first "social network" at a museum dedicated to the postal service. This family-friendly museum showcases how sending, delivering and receiving messages via post revolutionized our lives.

For added fun, take a ride on the Mail Rail through the stations and tunnels of London’s 100-year-old postal railway.

What is there to see at The Postal Museum?

From Victorian valentine cards to wartime letters home and everything in between, the permanent exhibitions at The Postal Museum tell the social history of Britain via the medium of post. Learn more about the postal service itself – and how much we relied on it prior to emails and smartphones – and get an understanding of just how vital being able to communicate by post once was.

Two women look at panels tracing the history of London's postal system at the Postal Museum.

Don’t miss the chance to also look inside The Postal Museum’s temporary exhibition space. Previous shows have looked at the Great Train Robbery and the salvaged goods of a shipwreck.

The Postal Museum is a great museum to bring children. Along with enjoying interactive displays, children under eight years old can have fun in The Postal Museum’s post-themed play area: Sorted! There are also plenty of family-friendly activities to enjoy during school holidays.

Two women, dressed with trench coats and grey flat caps, are sorting out mail at the Postal Museum.

What is the Mail Rail?

The Mail Rail is London’s 100-year-old postal railway. Jump aboard the miniature train and travel through the tunnels underneath London’s Mount Pleasant sorting office. The track stretches all the way from Paddington to Whitechapel.

As well as journeying along the tracks, which used to be in service 22 hours a day, you’ll get to enjoy interactive exhibits and an audio-visual show charting a century of postal engineering innovations.

Two women are sitting on the rail mail ready to depart at the Postal Museum.

All tickets to the museum include one ride on the Mail Rail.

What are Tunnel Walks at the Postal Museum?

To see even more of the tunnels, you can enjoy a guided Tunnel Walk as part of an additional ticket on select Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. This 75-minute walking tour takes you to hidden tunnels, tracks and platforms not usually accessible on the Mail Rail experience. Check the museum's website for the latest dates.

Is it free to visit the Postal Museum and Mail Rail?

There is a charge to visit The Postal Museum and Mail Rail. All tickets give unlimited access to the museum for one year, plus one ride on Mail Rail on your first visit. There is a slight discount if you book online in advance.

You can also buy tickets for Sorted! The Postal Museum’s play area for children aged eight years old and under. A museum entry ticket will give you a discount on Sorted!

How long does it take to go around the Postal Museum and ride the Mail Rail?

A woman leaves a message in a system using tubes running from one place to another in London's Postal Museum.

The Postal Museum and Mail Rail are in separate buildings, connected by a zebra crossing. Together, they make up one of London’s smaller visitor attractions. Two to three hours should be adequate to have a leisurely explore (and perhaps play!) in the museum. The Mail Rail takes 20 minutes to ride.

Give yourself time to recharge with a hot drink and some homemade cake at The Postal Museum’s café.

Where is the Postal Museum and Mail Rail?

The Postal Museum is in Clerkenwell, just north of central London.

How do I get to the Postal Museum and Mail Rail?

Someone is holding a red envelop ready to attribute it to its place in the mail sorting room.

The closest Tube stations are Chancery Lane (10 mins walk) Farringdon (12 mins walk), Russell Square (14 mins walk) or King's Cross St Pancras (16 mins walk).
The closest mainline train station is King's Cross St Pancras (16 mins walk).

Bus numbers 17, 19, 38, 45, 46, 55, 63, 341 all stop close to The Postal Museum.

There are Santander Cycles docking stations on Northington Street and Wren Street.

There are bike racks for visitors in the courtyard of The Postal Museum.

This content has been supplied by The Postal Museum and Mail Rail

Prices and opening times

Child Ticket From £10.00 per ticket
Concession Ticket From £12.20 per ticket
Adult Ticket From £17.60 per ticket

Children under the age of three do not require a ticket.

Carers have free entry to all exhibitions and a ride on Mail Rail when accompanying a disabled paying visitor.

This content has been supplied by The Postal Museum and Mail Rail

Opening Times

Wednesday to Friday: 10.30am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 5pm

Facilities & Accessibility

Access Inside Building Facilities
Accessible lift
Lift buttons with raised numbers or letters
Some routes suitable for limited mobility users
Some routes suitable for wheelchair users
Access into the Building
Automatic doors
Accessible Bathroom Facilities
Designated wheelchair accessible public toilet
Some toilets with handrails
Accessible Communication Facilities
Clear signage (colour contrast, large letters or pictograms)
Films or information touch screens have visual/audible subtitles
Hearing loop system
Information available in braille
Accessible Venue Facilities
Access discounts available
Assistance dogs welcome
Level access, ramp or lift to restaurant or cafe
Level access, ramp or lift to the shop
Staff disability awareness trained
Additional Accessible Facilities
Accessible baby changing rooms
Level access, ramp or lift to garden
Level access, ramp or lift to ticket issuing point
Portable chip and pin machines
Attraction Facilities
Audio commentary available
Gift shop
Public toilets
Tours available in French
Tours available in German
Tours available in Italian
Tours available in Spanish
Booking Facilities
Coach parties accepted
Group bookings accepted
Catering Facilities
Cafe
Event catering
Food shop
Outdoor dining / Beer garden
Vegetarian options on menu
Event Facilities
Available for wedding receptions
Breakout Rooms
Conference rooms / Meeting rooms
In house AV available
Licenced for civil marriages
Venue allows outside catering
Wedding service
General Facilities
Free WiFi
Lifts
Lockers
Luggage storage
Secure cycle storage
Payment Facilities
Group rates available

Events at The Postal Museum and Mail Rail

See all events at The Postal Museum and Mail Rail