The Postal MuseumCollectionsLinks to other sources

Links to other sources

The best place to start researching British postal history is, of course, The Royal Mail Archive. Use our online catalogue to search for material in our collection. However, these other organisations hold records useful for postal research in the British Isles.

Other postal archives

The National Archives (TNA)
The National Archives (UK). The Catalogue carries references to Royal Mail Archive material because it is Public Record, as the postal service was formerly a government department. Records of other organisations, including Santander who hold Girobank records are included in the eCatalogue. The National Archives also holds records of the Ministry of Works, who were responsible for many post office buildings.

National Records of Scotland
Holds records relating to Royal Mail in Scotland.

Public Record Office Northern Ireland
Holds records relating to Royal Mail in Northern Ireland.

The National Archives of Ireland
Information on the postal service in The Republic of Ireland.

BT Group Archives
BT Group Archives preserves the historical information of British Telecommunications plc and its predecessors – which includes the Post Office – from the early part of the 19th century up to the present day.

BT Group Archives have digitised staff magazines from 1966-1980 (the ‘Post Office Magazine’ 1934-1966, and ‘The Courier’ 1966-1980). They have also digitised a selection of films from the GPO Film Unit. 

National Sound Archive at the British Library
Holds oral history recordings of postal workers from the ‘Post Office Lives’ project.

British Film Institute
Holds the original films from the GPO Film Unit. Some of these have been digitised.

National Library of Ireland | National Library of Ireland
Includes information relating to the Easter Rising in 1916, which included GPO Dublin.

Other related archive websites

British Pathé
The world’s first digital news archive. You can preview items from the entire 3500 hour British Pathé Film Archive from 1896 to 1970, including many things related to the Post Office.

Genuki
Information about UK and Ireland genealogy with links to sources all over the country.

Historical Directories
A digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales, from 1750 to 1919. It contains high quality reproductions of comparatively rare books, essential tools for research into local and genealogical history.

Legislation.gov.uk
The official home of revised enacted UK legislation 1267 to present.

The Gazette
Official Newspaper of Record for the UK and a modern, efficient way to disseminate and record official, regulatory and legal information.

Société Jersiaise
The Société Jersiaise is a historic society in Jersey, Channel Islands, founded in 1873 for the study of archaeology, history, natural history, the ancient language and the conservation of the environment. Their online Photographic Archive catalogue contains over 350 images documenting the history of the postal service on the island.

National Library of Scotland – Scottish Postal Directories
Annual directories, including an alphabetical list of a town’s or county’s inhabitants, enabling you to easily find out where people lived at a certain time.

Related UK museums and websites

Porthcurno Telegraph Museum, Cornwall
Set up in 1997 by Cable & Wireless to preserve the important historical buildings and collections at Porthcurno.

Imperial War Museum
Holds oral history recordings relating to Post Office Rifles.

Related worldwide museums

Philatelic Organisations

Specialist postal groups and websites

GB Cover Collector
A reference for Illustrated Postmark Event covers, Plain Postmark Event covers and Slogans.

The Post Office Vehicle Club
The POVC was formed in 1962, and aims to build up a complete historical record of all vehicles operated from 1906 to the present day.

Postal Mechanisation Study Circle
The PMSC studies all aspects of the automation and mechanisation of the posts around the world.

Letter Box Study Group
The LBSG study the history and development of the British letter box, in all its forms.

The TPO and Seapost Society
For enthusiasts of the Travelling Post Office mail trains and transport of mail by sea.

Positively Postal
The Positively Postal website illustrates all things connected to the postal system including letters, stamps, post offices, postal vehicles, post office advertising and postal workers amongst others.

British Post Office Buildings and their Architects: an Illustrated Guide

UK Post Offices by County
This website outlines brief, operational information on all post offices in the UK.

Other Resources

GPO War Heroes
The GPO War Heroes site has digitised copies of two memorial books listing all postal workers who died during the First World War and the Second World War.  

Ancestry
Appointment records, pension records, and Establishment Books for Post Office workers have been digitised and are available on Ancestry. 

Addressing Health
Addressing Health was a three year research project to examine ill health in the Post Office in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This site includes published research, and a data mapper where users can access data on health, service record, occupation and place of work for around 26, 000 postal workers. 

British Post Office Buildings and their Architects
This site includes photographs and basic information about purpose built, urban, British post office buildings. 

Royal Mail Post Boxes. A Joint Policy Statement by Royal Mail and Historic England
This policy statement sets out the historic significance of post boxes. It includes Royal Mail’s commitment to the retention of all post boxes in operational service in their existing positions, unless circumstances or operational need necessitates their relocation, or removal. 

Google Books
Many editions of the British Postal Guide and Post Office Guide from 1860s-1920, and a few editions of Post Offices in the United Kingdom from 1950s-1960s, are available to view on Google Books. Just search using the title and the year you’re interested in.

The Postal Museum cannot be held responsible for any material found on linked websites.