Visit the Archive

A summary of the following information is also available in 

French  German  Spanish and  Welsh

The Royal Mail Archive is open for the public to use and enjoy. This page has information on opening times and getting here.

You can also find out about:

• Facilities and Access for All
  
• Archive User Cards
  
• Copying services
• Search Room exhibitions
  

To find out more about our holdings, visit the Collections section, or use our online catalogue.

Before your visit

You do not need to make an appointment to see most of the archive material we hold (except for philatelic material). However, as with any archive, it is always a good idea to contact us before your visit to find out if we have records that could be useful to you.

The Royal Mail Archive is based at Freeling House, Phoenix Place, London WC1X 0DL. This is also the main office for The British Postal Museum & Archive. The British Postal Museum Store is located in Debden, Essex.

Opening times

The Royal Mail Archive is open Monday to Friday, and on selected Saturdays. We are closed on all public holidays. We will also be closed from Monday 8 December to Friday 19 December 2008 (inclusive) for our annual stocktake.

Getting here

Freeling House is part of the Mount Pleasant sorting office complex. You may find it useful to mention this if asking for directions on the street!

Download and print a detailed location map here (PDF, 220KB). Details on how to get here using public transport can be found below.

Tube and Train

• Farringdon (10 minutes walk);
• King's Cross St Pancras (15 minutes walk);
• Chancery Lane (10 minutes walk);
• Angel (15 minutes walk);
• Russell Square (15 minutes walk).

Please visit the Transport for London website for the latest travel information.

Bus

• Routes 17, 45, 46 go to Gray’s Inn Road;
• Routes 19, 38, and 341 go to Rosebery Avenue; 
• Routes 55 and 243 go to Clerkenwell Road;
• Route 63 goes to Farringdon Road.

Download a copy of the Central London bus map here (PDF, 319KB)

Walking

We are within walking distance of several other archive centres, including London Metropolitan Archives, the Family Records Centre and BT Archives.

You can download a copy of the Camden and Islington Family History Map  here (PDF, 113KB) - this will show you just how easy it is to walk between many archive centres in this part of London.

Car

The Royal Mail Archive is within the Congestion Charge Zone.

There are NCP car parks at Bowling Green Lane, Hatton Garden and Saffron Hill (all within the Congestion Charge Zone). Fort more information visit www.ncp.co.uk

Any one with a disabled parking permit can park in the residents’ parking spaces opposite Freeling House. For more information contact Camden Council.