Favourite Stories of 2016

Our biggest news of the year: brand new Mail Rail trains were designed, built and delivered. We also made huge progress transforming a former 1920s factory into a home for The Postal Museum experience, café, shop and archive, which you can read a bit about below.

With so much going on, our staff have still found time to blog about the things that intrigue them the most. Before we get too far into 2017, we wanted to take a look back at some of the best blogs from 2016. In no particular order, here they are:

A card from ‘Harry’ to ‘Olive’, 1909 (2014-0038/13)

A Life and Love on Paper

A box in our collection set Curator Joanna on the trail of a moving story of romance, artistry and even secret messages…

Miniature Sheet, Post Boxes, 2009

Spotting a Royal Cypher

You see them every day but what are they and what do they mean? Find out what a Royal Cypher is, where it appears and how to create your own.

‘The Chester to London Mail Coach’, early 19th century (OB1995.520)

The Sound of the Post Horn

Mind out – Mail Coach coming through! What did a Post Horn actually sound like? We find out with a little help from eBay and Leicester City FC.

Tolhurst Envelope from 1919 (2014-0038/61)

The McLennan Mail Art

Explore art off the canvas as Curator Joanna Espin dives into the vivid history of Mail Art – and our latest treasures…

Construction work on the second floor of Calthorpe House

How Do You Build a Museum?

We aren’t making too many changes to Mail Rail, but over the road at The Postal Museum things look quite different! We talked to Project Manager Kent to find out more about what he does and why this project is so unique.

Excited already? Make sure you sign up to our mailing list to get the latest updates on the opening.

– The team at The Postal Museum 💌