Ticket Terms & Conditions

Open from 10.00 – 17.00 Tuesday – Sunday except 24, 25 & 26 December. Last Ride departs at approximately 16.15.

These terms and conditions (‘Terms’) apply to any purchase of tickets by a visitor (‘you’) for entrance into The Postal Museum, Mail Rail at The Postal Museum and Sorted! The Postal Play Space (‘Sorted!’) (collectively ‘the Museum’), the subterranean Mail Rail train ride (‘the Ride’) and/or any associated exhibitions and events (‘Exhibitions and Events’).

Please read these Terms carefully before you purchase tickets from us. These Terms will govern your purchase of tickets and access to the Museum, the Ride and any Exhibitions and Events and will be binding on both you and us. If you have any queries with respect to these Terms, please contact us to discuss.

If you are purchasing e-tickets from our website, specific additional terms also apply. These are outlined at paragraph 8 below.

1. About Us

We are the Board of Trustees of The Postal Heritage Trust, operating as The Postal Museum of 15-20 Phoenix Place, London, WC1X 0DA (‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’). Our registered VAT number is GB 835 963 882.

You can contact us by writing to us at [email protected].

2. About the Museum

The standard opening hours of the Museum are between 10.00am and 5.00pm from Tuesday to Sunday. We will be closed to the public on Mondays, and on 24, 25 and 26 December.

Opening hours may change at short notice due to circumstances beyond our control. In these instances, we will make every effort to communicate any changes in advance by notification on our website at postalmuseum.org or via email. General Admission and Mail Rail Ride tickets are non-refundable and non-cancellable in any circumstance. Please see clause 7.h. for full information.

Anyone aged less than 14 years must be accompanied by a paying adult to access the Museum, the Ride and any Exhibitions and Events.

3. About the Ride

The Ride lasts approximately 15 minutes, including embarkation and disembarkation. The final ride of each day shall depart at approximately 4.15pm.

The Ride has a maximum speed of 7.5 mph.

Please note that the ride descends to 70 feet (21.3 metres) underground through tunnels no wider than 7 feet (2.13 metres) at their narrowest point. Due to the restricted size of the tunnels, the trains are small and may therefore be unsuitable or uncomfortable for some visitors.

Ticket holders for the Ride (including disabled guests, groups and schools) must arrive at the Mail Rail at The Postal Museum ticket desk in accordance with the timeslot printed on their ticket. Please note that your ride ticket provides a timed slot for departure, not a specific departure time. Latecomers will not be admitted to the Ride except at our absolute discretion.

Capacity of the train depends on numbers of adults and children for each slot. To reflect this you may be allocated an earlier or later train than your ticket states.

Groups purchasing tickets for the Ride will not always travel on the same train at the same time.

No food or beverage of any nature may be consumed on the Ride itself, on the boarding platform leading to the Ride or in the Exhibitions and Events without our express permission.

Due to limited space inside the carriages, you will not be allowed to take bags on to the Ride. Items can be stored free of charge in a designated storage space prior to boarding the Ride. You will appreciate that we do not accept responsibility for items stored within the designated storage space.

4. About Sorted!

Children and accompanying adults with tickets for Sorted! agree to abide by the rules for the Play Space. These can be found on our website at postalmuseum.org and within the Play Space itself.

5. Restrictions and prohibitions

We reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to refuse entry on to or remove from the Museum, the Ride or the Exhibitions and Events any person who:-

A. has been convicted of a criminal offence which, in our opinion, is likely to affect the safety or enjoyment of other visitors;

B. has behaved in a manner which, in our opinion, has, or is likely to affect the safety or enjoyment of other visitors;

C. has used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or in any way provokes or behaves in a manner which may provoke a breach of the peace; And/or

D. is or appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

To prevent offensive weapons or dangerous articles from being taken onto the Ride and into the Museum and Exhibitions and Events, visitors are admitted on condition that if requested to do so, they will allow themselves and/or their belongings to be searched. It is prohibited to bring onto our premises any weapons, blades, fireworks, smoke bombs, glass bottles, flammable liquids or other articles which, in our opinion, may cause injury. The throwing of any article which, in our opinion, could cause injury or annoyance is strictly prohibited. Photography and filming will be permitted at our absolute discretion and we reserve the right to restrict the use of filming and photography equipment.

The following restrictions apply to all sections of the Museum:

a. The consumption of food and drink is strictly prohibited outside of designated areas which are clearly signed. Should you be unsure about whether food or drink is permitted in a specific area, please ask a member of staff for clarification.

b. Smoking is strictly prohibited on all of the Museum’s property.

c. Visitors must adhere to our health and safety procedures and guidelines (as notified to visitors and/or as instructed by the Museum staff from time to time).

d. Visitors must obey all instructions given by a member of staff.

All assistance dogs are welcome at the museum. Water bowls are available on request from the ticket desks in The Postal Museum and Mail Rail.

When riding Mail Rail, blind and visually impaired visitors may be accompanied by their assistance dog and can bring a foldable cane. Visitors will also need to be accompanied by a sighted companion or a staff member / volunteer trained in guiding. This is to provide support in the event of an emergency evacuation.

The following effects are used in the Ride and Exhibitions and Events:

i) pitch darkness;

ii) moving flooring;

iii) loud noises; and

iv) flashing light effects.

The use of these effects is limited.

While every effort is made to ensure the wellbeing of visitors, we advise that if any visitor has a pre-existing condition that could be exacerbated by exposure to any of these effects, then these visitors should not enter the Ride or relevant parts of the Exhibitions and Events.

6. Our liability

Visitors must keep personal belongings with them at all times if not using the on-site lockers provided. We accept no responsibility for the loss, theft or damage to any personal items left in lockers or brought into the Museum, on to the Ride or into Exhibitions and Events. We are unable to accept any items that exceed the size of the lockers (24x12x12 in, 60x30x30 cm) and these items will not be permitted on-site.

We accept responsibility for death or personal injury resulting from our negligence and for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation. Other than this, we shall not be responsible for any type of loss or damage which you may suffer or incur as a direct or indirect result of purchasing tickets from us or visiting the Museum, the Ride or attending any Exhibitions and Events. We accept no responsibility for any distress, inconvenience or anxiety experienced by visitors during the course of the Ride or any Exhibitions and Events and/or during evacuation from the Ride in the unlikely event of a breakdown or accident.

7. Your Ticket(s)

You may purchase tickets for the Museum, the Ride and/or any Exhibitions and Events through our online booking system at https://webshoppostalmuseum.recreatex.be/exhibitions/overview or from our ticket desks located at the entrance of the Museum. Your payment card will be debited when you confirm the order of your tickets.

The price of any tickets will be as set out on our website (postalmuseum.org) or displayed at the entrance to the Museum on the date of purchase. We may alter the price of tickets at any time without notice.

In buying tickets from us you understand and agree that:

a. Tickets for the Ride are valid only for the Ride, the number of person(s) and the date and entry time slot (where applicable) stated upon them;

b. Tickets for the Museum and Exhibitions and Events are valid only for the stated Exhibition and Event, the number of person(s) and the date and entry time slot (where applicable) stated upon them;

c. To purchase an annual ticket, you will be required to enter certain personal data (i.e. information by which you can be identified) including your name, email address and phone number. Please note that our privacy policy shall apply to our use of your personal data which you should read carefully.

d. If data is not provided at the point of purchase, The Postal Museum will not be able to recover booking information or reprint tickets. The Postal Museum takes no responsibility for lost tickets;

e. Annual return is valid for the exhibitions only for 1 year from the originally booked date of your first visit;

f. Tickets must be presented at the point of entry as a paper printout or digitally on a portable device;

g. During your visit you must retain your tickets safely for production on demand by our members of staff;

h. Please note General Admission and Mail Rail Ride tickets are non-refundable and non-cancellable in any circumstance including unforeseen closure or failure of any exhibits including the ride. At its discretion, and subject to availability, The Postal Museum will re-book affected tickets for an alternative visit date up to one year from the original visit date for no extra charge. Proof of purchase must be provided and no cash alternative will be given;

i. In the event of loss, annual tickets may be reprinted for an administrative fee of £2 per ticket;

j. Any other agreed alteration to the date or time of any booking for entry to the Museum, Sorted! or any Exhibition and Event or on the Ride following the purchase of ticket(s) will be charged an administration fee of £5 per booking;

k. The Postal Museum reserves the right to request ID to verify tickets on entry. Failure to produce ID will result in admission being denied except at our absolute discretion.

8. Cancellation of tickets

If we need to prevent or restrict access to all or any part of the Museum or the Ride or cancel an Exhibition and Event, we will attempt to contact you by email to the email address provided in your order in advance to arrange substitute tickets. Please check your email inbox and junk mail folders before travelling to the Museum to avoid an unnecessary journey in the event of an unforeseen cancellation or access restriction. We will not be liable for the time or expense in attending the Museum in the event of such a cancellation or access restriction.

9. Etickets

In addition to the above terms, any purchase of etickets from us is subject to the following additional terms and conditions.

9.1 Purchasing your eticket

You can purchase etickets using our online booking system at https://webshoppostalmuseum.recreatex.be/exhibitions/overview.

To purchase etickets, you will be required to create an account with us. Creating an account requires you to enter certain personal data (i.e. information by which you can be identified) including your name and email address. Please note that our privacy policy shall apply to our use of your personal data which you should read carefully. This may be found at https://www.postalmuseum.org/about/policies/digital-privacy-policy/.

By creating an account, you are able to view your ticket by logging in.

Once your online booking has been confirmed an order confirmation will be sent to the email address you specified in your order, at which point a contract will come into existence between you and us. No agreement is formed between you and us for the sale of etickets until we email you with this confirmation.

It is your responsibility to check prior to purchase that the information you have supplied to us with regards to your eticket requirements is accurate.

9.2 Using your eticket

On arrival at the Museum, the Ride or/ the Exhibition and Event for which your etickets are valid, you will be required to show the following to a member of staff in order to validate your etickets and obtain entry:

i) a legible printout of your eticket(s) or a legible electronic version on a mobile device; and

ii) in circumstances where a concession is claimed, proof of identity and concession entitlement (for example of age or student status);

iii) (for non-transferable tickets) the credit or debit card used to purchase the etickets;

iv) For annual tickets, proof of identity may be required to prove ownership.

If you fail to produce any of the above items you will not be admitted to the Museum, the Ride or relevant Exhibition and Event using your eticket except at our discretion.

Any person who does not have a valid eticket will be required to pay the standard entry rates applicable to the Museum, the Ride or the Exhibition and Event which they wish to attend.

10. Additional terms

We reserve the right to vary these Terms from time to time without notifying you beforehand. The Terms in effect at a given time shall be as displayed on our website at postalmuseum.org.

Each of the paragraphs of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

Nothing within these Terms will be construed as restricting any of your legal rights.

These Terms are governed by English Law and any disputes between us arising out of or in connection with these Terms will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.