Mail Rail: A Photographic Exhibition -- London's hidden underground heritage

Mail Rail: A Photographic Exhibition, a set by British Postal Museum & Archive on Flickr.

BPMA Search Room, London
24 July 2013 onwards
Photos taken throughout Mail Rail

Mail Rail: A Photographic Exhibition consists of photos taken throughout the Mail Rail network by Bradley Photography, Northumberland. These exquisite images, all taken in the last few years, capture snapshots of the network in its entirety, from the tunnels to the underground stations.

The Post Office (London) Railway consisted of approx. 6½ miles of tunnels and ran from 1927 to 2003. The images captured by Bradley Photography show the hidden network that still lies beneath much of London today. Though maintained in a mothballed state today, the images capture the network very much as it was on the day service ceased in 2003.

This exhibition will provide a glimpse into a hidden world of postal and transport history through never-before-seen photographs.

Free entry.

No booking necessary for individuals or small groups. For groups of 10 or more, please contact us to discuss arrangements.

Exclusive signed prints are available through Museum's online shop.
(line of railway shown on Openstreetmap)

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Getting There

The Royal Mail Archive
Freeling House
Phoenix Place
London WC1X 0DL

The Royal Mail Archive's home in 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!

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.

Routes 17, 45 and 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)

BPMA does not have its own bike racks but there are some situated on the corner of Phoenix Place and Mount Pleasant

Barclay's cycle hire scheme has two nearby bike docking stations

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

For information on walking routes please consult Transport for London's Journey Planner.

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). For more information visit www.ncp.co.uk.

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

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