Study original material

If you just want to come and browse the reference area, then you don’t need to do anything in advance! If you know you want to consult original archive material, then some preparation will make your visit go more smoothly. 

Before you visit, see what we have in our collections by searching our online catalogue.

If you need advice on identifying which records may be useful for you, or help with your booking, then please contact the Archive team using the contact form below.

To look at original archive documents, please book an appointment and order the documents at least a day in advance. You can do this when you register, and then log in, to The Postal Museum Catalogue or by contacting the Archive team.

We strongly recommend you always book in advance, especially if you are making a special trip, travelling a long way, or wanting to see material on a Saturday. We cannot guarantee you a seat or that we will be able to retrieve documents for you, otherwise.

In order to see original documents, you must also register for an archive User Card. Please note, registering to order documents via the online catalogue is NOT the same as registering for a User Card. See below on how to get a User Card.

To view original documents you must sign up for a User Card.

To sign up, please complete this form and bring ID and proof of home address on your first visit. Please see here for details of accepted forms of ID.

On subsequent visits, you will only need to bring your User Card.

Privacy information

The information you provide us with will be used to answer your enquiry. We will keep your information secure and will delete it in line with our retention procedures. We won’t share your information with any third party for their own marketing purposes. Please see our Privacy Policy for further details about our processing and your rights or email [email protected]

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The Postal Museum looks after over 400 years of postal heritage, including the archive of Royal Mail Group plc, and Post Office Ltd.