Online exhibitions

The BPMA has a series of online exhibitions. Some of these are online versions of current or past exhibitions that we have had on display, either at Freeling House or at other venues. Others are purely online.

The Post Office in the Community

From its beginnings with the General Post Office and letter receiving houses in 17th century London, to the 21st century, the Post Office has always played an important role in the community. The need to communicate is central. Not only have post offices always offered ways to do this, they are also often a place to meet people and form a hub of a community. View Exhibition

Designs on Delivery

Design played a crucial role in promoting social progress and technological change across Britain between 1930 and 1960. The commercial poster reached cultural maturity during this period and became the most eloquent of the mass media. From the 1930s onwards the Post Office became a leader in the field of poster design, commissioning some of Britain's best artists and designers. View Exhibition

 

Mount Pleasant Religious Associations

Mount Pleasant mail centre is home to a number of social, sporting, cultural and religious groups. This exhibition looks at the three of them - the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim Associations - and how these groups socialise, worship and celebrate their festivals. View Exhibition

Gentleman on Stamps

David Gentleman has designed 103 issued stamps for Royal Mail since 1962. This exhibition features the artwork for many of these and some designs which have never been seen in public before. It focuses on the revolutionary "Gentleman Album" of 1966, which had so much influence on British stamp design. View Exhibition

 

Last Post: Remembering the First World War

This exhibition explores the effect of the events of 1914-18 on the Post Office and its people, and the contribution of postal communications to the war effort. View Exhibition

Lions, Leopards, Unicorn & Dragions: The first "Regional" stamps

Marking the 50th anniversary (in 2008) of the first definitive stamps for Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the islands of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, this exhibition explores how the designs for the stamps came about. View Exhibition

Moving the Mail: Horses to Horsepower

Exploring the history of road transport and the Post Office. View Exhibition

Timeless & Classic: Machin's Icon

Featuring material that was on display at the BPMA and the Royal College of Art, this exhibition explores the evolution of Arnold Machin's classic icon and marked the 40th anniversary (in 2007) of this 'timeless & classic' image. View Exhibition

Valentine's Day: Passion through the post

Highlighting some of the more romantic items in our collection, and tracing the history of Valentine traditions and the impact they have had on the Post Office. View Exhibition

Stamp of the Month - 2007

Stamp of the Month was an ongoing project throughout most of 2007. It shows off some of our wonderful collection of stamps and artwork by linking it each month to the latest stamps from Royal Mail. View Exhibtion

Mount Pleasant Community Project 2007

A display of photographs taken by Royal Mail staff to create an exhibition about life in Mount Pleasant mail centre. View Exhibition

Mount Pleasant: '...the largest sorting office in the world'

Recounting the history of the Mount Pleasant site in Clerkenwell from the 1500s until the present day. The Mount Pleasant sorting office was once thought to be the largest in the world. View Exhibition

Elizabeth: Queen & Icon

This exhibition celebrated Her Majesty The Queen's 80th birthday in 2006. Queen Elizabeth has had her face reproduced on more stamps than anyone in history, and this exhibition journeys through these philatelic portraits. View Exhibition

40 years of Courier

An exhibition marking the 40th birthday of Courier (the newspaper for Royal Mail staff) in 2006. Read a brief history of the magazine and an interview with its first editor Peter Davies. See a selection of Courier front covers and mastheads from the last five decades. View Exhibition

Stamp of the Month - 2006

Stamp of the Month was first launched in 2006 and proved to be a popular way of uncovering gems from our philatelic collection, the most comprehensive collection of Great Britain stamps in the world. View Exhibition

 

Playing for the Cup

This exhibition was inspired by the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and the successful cataloguing of the BPMA collection of sporting trophies. Meet some of the legends of Post Office sport, from the pages of our historic staff magazines. View Exhibition

V&A Purchase Grant Fund

This exhibition was created to mark the 125th anniversary of the fund in 2006. The Purchase Grant Fund supports heritage institutions in buying items for their collections. Thanks to the fund, we have acquired six postal notices and some music sheets with a postal theme. View Exhibition

Icons of England

Showing how the things we cherish in our culture find their way into every home as beautiful stamp designs. This exhibition was created in support of the ICONS Online project, a virtual portrait of England. View Exhibition

World War 2 in Stamps

A slideshow of the best in wartime imagery from the front of an envelope. From Spitfires to submarines, you can learn about some of the events, machines and people involved in the conflict. View Exhibition

Victorian Innovation

Victorian Innovation changed the postal service forever - and not just because of the world's first stamp, the Penny Black. Drawing on items from the R M Phillips Collection, we throw light on some of the key postal innovations of Queen Victoria's reign. View Exhibition

How the Post Office Went to War

A celebration of how the postal service played its part in Britain's 'finest hour'. Created to mark 60 years since the end of the war, find out about the work of the GPO on the home front. View Exhibition

The World's First Scheduled Aerial Post

The World's First Scheduled Aerial Post was a pivotal moment in postal transport. Created as part of the 2005 Archive Awareness Campaign to celebrate 'Beginnings', this slideshow takes us back to Hendon aerodrome in 1911. View Exhibition

The Post of Christmas Past

Good fun at any time of year! The post is a fundamental part of Christmas, from seasonal stamps to Christmas cards. View Exhibition

Brunel Speeding the Mail

A look at the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel through stamp artwork commissioned by Royal Mail since 1969. Brunel’s Great Western Railway and transatlantic ships were vital to the improvement of the postal service, speeding the mail over land and seas. This exhibition celebrates Brunel’s role in the birth of mass communication. View Exhibition

The Travelling Post Office

Charting the life of postal sorting carriages and the camaraderie of the staff that worked on them, from their introduction in 1838 to their final run in 2004. View Exhibition