Maps
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The Royal Mail Archive holds over 700 maps. These cover the period 1757-c.1990. The majority date from the 19th century. We have maps showing the circulation of mail for all parts of Great Britain. We also have surveyors' maps and a few town maps.
Most of our maps can be found in POST 21, although maps related to particular topics can also be found in other classes. For example maps relating to the Travelling Post Office (TPO) mail trains can be found in POST 18.
Here are four examples of maps in our collection:
Surveryors' map of East Anglia, 1813, finding number: POST 21/128
This map of East Anglia indicates which horse posts were
armed and which were not.
Surveyors were responsible for the establishment of new postal routes. They also oversaw the work of the Postmasters and checked their accounts. Each surveyor was responsible for a particular district. The surveyors’ maps show mail coach, foot and horse routes in the district covered together with the post towns and offices.
Large image (545.3 KB)
Map of postal districts in London, 1870, finding number: POST 21/69
This
map shows London postal districts in 1870. Postal districts preceded
postcodes as a means for sorting the post. The districts were based on
the compass points.
We have several maps of the London postal districts. These span a number of years. They include some that were designed for inclusion in various editions of Kelly's Post Office directory.
We also hold some maps showing postal district information for other areas, you should contact us before travelling to see the maps in order to ascertain exact information about our holdings.
Large image (336.2 KB)
Map of London, 1881, finding number: POST 21/72
This map of London shows the area surrounding the
present day Mount Pleasant Sorting Office and The Royal Mail Archive.
The site was previously Clerkenwell prison as indicated by the House of
Correction annotation on the map (Find out more about the history of Mount Pleasant).
We hold a few town maps covering various areas of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. These can be useful for tracing streets which may have been demolished or renamed. They do not show house numbers, although significant buildings may be indicated.
Large image (646.3 KB)
Circulation map of Ireland, pre 1921, finding number: POST 21/364
This circulation map shows the circulation of
mail between different post towns in Ireland. The Post Office was responsible for mail services
throughout Ireland until the separation of Northern Ireland and the
Republic in 1921.
Circulation maps show the main postal roads and reflect the complicated system of transportation required to deliver mail to its destination.
Large image (256 KB)
