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. More recently additional services have been offered by the Post Office, and the UK postal industry has undergone many changes.
The need to communicate, however, has not altered and this exhibition will explore the many people, equipment and delivery methods that have been employed to do this.
Post Office counter services
Post offices don't just sell stamps, they provide access to a range of services such as licences, financial products, travel services and pensions.
Delivering the Mail
Road, rail and air services are used to move the mail across the country, and locally postal workers use many different delivery methods.
Letter Boxes
Today there are over 100,000 letter boxes in use in the UK. They fall into three main types, pillar, wall and lamp boxes.
Changing Times
There have been major changes in the postal industry over the past few decades, including the opening up of the UK postal market.
You may also be interested in...
BPMA at Blists Hill
The Museum of the Post Office in the Community in Shropshire
A fascinating permanent exhibition located above the re-created Victorian Post Office at Blists Hill Victorian Town.
Delivering the Mail
Nostalgic images of postmen and women from the turn of the 20th Century
The postcards include postmen on five-wheeled pentacyles and women working on deliveries during the First World War.
Moving the Mail
Exploring more than a century of mail delivery methods
Examining the move from horses to horsepower in the vehicles used by the Post Office and Royal Mail.
