British Postal Museum and Archive, London

British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA) is the museum that archieves the information related to the British postal service. It is open to the general public in three locations: the Royal Mail Archive in London, the Museum Store in Essex and the Museum of the Post Office in the Community in Blists Hill Victorian Town, Shropshire. The BPMA is an independent charity with links to the Royal Mail Group.

Automated Postal Sorting Equipment at the British Postal Museum & Archive
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BLW_Automated_postal_sorting_equipment_%283%29.jpg
Author: Mike Peel

The British Postal Museum & Archive dates back to 1838, when the Public Records Act was passed to ensure all government departments keep their archives organised, and this includes the Post Office. An archivist was appointed to look after the Post Office records in 1896, however it was only in 1966 that the first National Postal Museum (NPM) was opened to the public.

The founding of the National Postal Museum was partly due to the donation by Reginald M Phillips of his huge collection of British Victorian stamps in 1965. The collection, which now comes to be known as the Phillips Collection, includes the first First Day Cover, with the Penny Black, a highly sought stamp. It also includes invaluable documents related to the postal service. The museum was housed in the King Edward Building in the City of London. However, the museum closed in 1998 when the building was sold. The collection was transferred into the care of the Heritage unit of the Post Office (when was later rebranded Consignia, and again rebranded as Royal Mail Group today).

Mail Van at the British Postal Museum & Archive
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BLW_Mail_Van.jpg
Author: janet holdway


The Heritage unit was transferred to an independent charity trust and in 2004, branded as The British Posal Museum & Archive.

How to reach British Postal Museum and Archive

In London, the place to go to view the historic stamps and archives of the British Postal Museum and Archive is at the Royal Mail Archive at Freeling House, Phoenix Place.

List of Museums in London

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