Moving the Mail: Horses to Horsepower charts the fascinating history of road transport in the postal service. The full exhibition consists of 12 exhibition panels and 13 rarely-seen vehicles from the BPMA collection.

Exhibition Requirements

Each panel highlights different areas of postal transport history from 'Postboys and Mailcoaches' to 'Modern Fleet'. Vehicles range from a fiery red BSA Bantam motorbike to a newly renovated mobile post office, a postbus, mailcoach and various vehicles manufactured by Morris and Daimler. Films developed especially for the exhibition are also available. The films chart the history of postal road transport with both vintage Pathé material and more recent footage of vehicles in action.

Size needed: 300sqm (maximum), Panels & vehicles can be shown in their entirety or be cut down to suit a specific space. The exhibition has been designed so elements of it can form an exhibition in their own right.
Security: Constant invigilation
Hire Fee: Free, but venues will have to meet the costs of transporting the vehicles and exhibition panels.
Insurance responsibility: Venue
Transport responsibility: Venue. Arrangements can be made by us but costs should be met by venue. The majority of the vehicles will have to be transported on a low loader.
Notes: If all vehicles are requested there must be adequate environmental conditions. If all panels and vehicles are requested installation takes 3 days minimum. Exhibition panels are mounted on to Foamex and sealed, but freestanding velcro panels are required for mounting.
Shop products: BPMA curator Julian Stray has written an account of 400 years of postal transport by road, to accompany this exhibition. Moving the Mail... By Road is available for venues to sell. There is also a postcard pack available.

What we can offer you

For host venues, the BPMA will offer the following:

• The exhibition free of charge, with instructions on how to assemble
• Marketing on the BPMA website, blog, and in the BPMA newsletter and events guide where appropriate
• BPMA press release template, logo and credit line
• Learning activities to support the exhibition, if available
• Opportunity to sell related BPMA products, on a sale or return basis

What you will need to have

• Security
  Venues must provide any specified security and environmental conditions
• Insurance
  Venues must cover the insurance of the exhibition
• Transport to next venue
  This cost, and the associated logistical arrangements, are to be covered by the venue
• Marketing / press
  Venues are required to logo and line credit the BPMA on all public announcements, press releases, invitations, posters, signs and other promotional material
• Approved methods of hanging / display
  Venues must follow hanging instructions

Contact Us

If you would like to hire one of our touring exhibitions, please download and complete the enquiry form, and send it to the email address below.

Touring exhibitions request form (MS Word, 815KB)

Please send your enquiry form to:
Dominique Bignall
Exhibitions Officer
dominique.bignall@postalheritage.org.uk