The Archive
and second Saturday of each month
(except Bank Holidays)
10:00 - 16:30
The Postal Museum, First Floor
- What to expect
- FAQs
- Contact
The Archive is the place to come to delve deeper into the history of the postal service, and where you can study original archive material. You can also contact the Archive team using the email address on this page to ask questions and find out more about online archive resources.
What to expect
In the Archive you can:
- Explore your family history using our records and Ancestry online
- Study original material in the Archive (two forms of ID required)
- Browse our reference library
- View microfilm copies of archival material
- Search our catalogue and other digital resources
- Look at staff magazines, Post Office Circulars, photograph and poster albums
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Study original material
Drop in and browse the reference area, or if you want to consult original archive material, a little preparation will make your visit easier.
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Archive facilities
Information for visitors on general facilities, lockers, computer and internet access, copying and photography in the Archive at The Postal Museum.
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Family history
The Postal Museum is the definitive place to find out about past postal employees.
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Research from home
We understand visiting in person isn’t always possible, and we will do our best to answer your questions and suggest online resources.
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Using the Archive for student projects and academic research
Are you a student, lecturer or researcher looking for original source material for a research project, a location for a group archive visit, or inspiration for your creative work?
FAQs
The Royal Mail Archive cares for the archive of Royal Mail Group plc, and Post Office Ltd. It is one of the oldest business archives in the world, and continues to collect and care for the records of the two businesses today.
Records in the Archive are Designated as being of outstanding national importance by the Arts Council, and are on the UNESCO memory of the World UK Register.
The majority of records held are public records and are available for anyone to see onsite, free-of-charge.
The records cover a huge range of business activities and are also a great source of social history. They include documents on postal innovations and designs, employment, transport, publicity, maps, buildings and uniforms, to name a few. The stamp collections include every British stamp issued from 1840 to the present day. The General Post Office (GPO) was one of the biggest employers in the UK and the Archive contains records that are invaluable for family history research.
We have two research guides:
- Royal Mail Archive – Overview Guide (PDF)
- This gives an overview of all the records we have in the Archive. The records are divided into POST classes, covering a wide range of subjects.
- The guide explains what records are held in each POST class. It also has a subject index at the back.
- Family History Research Guide (PDF)
- This is a step-by-step guide to discovering your ancestors who worked for the Post Office in the past.
- At the back there is a list of abbreviations used in the appointment and pension records.
- For more information please see our family history page.
The guides are long, but you do not have to read every page! Just look at the first few pages to find out how to use each guide. They also are available in the museum’s Archive, along with the best guides of all – our staff. Please contact us if you have any questions.
We are happy to welcome groups to the Archive, but please contact us in advance to discuss your visit and to book, as we have limited research space.
Yes – please let us know in advance so we can arrange the space to support your needs by emailing [email protected] or by using the contact form below.
No, you do not. You just need to book an appointment with the Archive team. Find information below on how to do this.
Contact
To book an appointment, or contact the Archive team, please use the contact form below or email us at: [email protected]
Send us your questions about the archive, family history or the collections, and we’ll do our best to help.
Privacy information
The information you provide us with will be used to answer your enquiry. We will keep your information secure and will delete it in line with our retention procedures. We won’t share your information with any third party for their own marketing purposes. Please see our Privacy Policy for further details about our processing and your rights or email [email protected]
The Postal Museum looks after over 400 years of postal heritage, including the archive of Royal Mail Group plc, and Post Office Ltd.