The London Postal Museum is, as Association Football commentators have been known to say, a "game of two halves" each of which is separated by the width of a road called Phoenix Place.
On the eastern side of this rather nondescript residential street in Clerkenwell lies "Mail Rail" - the Post Office's very own private, narrow-gauge underground railway, which functioned very successfully from 1927 to 2003 - whilst on the western side of the road is the Postal Museum proper.
Visitors should arrive at the "Mail Rail" building and buy their admission tickets, which allow one single journey on the underground railway on the day of issue, and unlimited return visits to the Postal Museum for a whole year. Tickets cost GBP 17:60 (Adults aged 25+) or GBP 12:20 (Young People aged 16-24) 0r GBP 10:00 (Children aged 3-15) with a discount of GBP 1:00 if the tickets are purchased online.
Twenty-four concrete steps lead down to what was, until 2003, the depot where the little underground freight trains were serviced and maintained. The modern passenger units which run on the 24 inch gauge railway are cramped, with enough width for one large adult (or a small adult and a child) to sit in reasonable comfort. The circular journey around a loop in the tunnel takes fifteen minutes, with two stops on the way at former stations, where video clips outlining the history of the railway are projected onto the tunnel walls. I'm just under six feet tall and fitted into the carriage with a couple of inches to spare! The trains are propelled by an electric conductor rail and travel at around 8 mph. No food or drink is allowed on the trains and no luggage is permitted (not even handbags) but there are cages on the platform where backpacks and bags can be left. After their journey is over, passengers can spend time looking around the depot area, which includes interactive exhibits for younger visitors, who can try their hand at sorting mail in a recreation of a Travelling Post Office, or control the driverless trains virtually as they trundle to and fro between Paddington and Liverpool Street along six miles of track Across the road is the Postal Museum proper, which contains a Gift Shop, Cafeteria and an outside seating area with chairs and tables. A series of exhibits outline the 500 year-long history of the Royal Mail, which began as King Henry VIII's private postal service but was opened up for the general public to use in 1635, by order of King Charles I. There is a beautifully-painted, horse-drawn wooden Mail Coach from 1784 not far from a Motor Van dating back to the early 20th Century, and examples of the uniforms for male and female postal workers to show how they have changed over the centuries. To keep children happy there's an interactive video clip in which they can play the part of a Royal Mail Guard, defending the Exeter to London Stagecoach from attacks by a Highwayman and even an escaped Lioness! There's also an exhibit about the Royal Mail Packet Boats, which carried mail across the Atlantic Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars, suffering attacks by Pirates and Privateers in the process.
The Cafeteria serves hot and cold drinks, snacks and light meals. A high-quality Ham Salad Sandwich cost GBP 4:25, a can of Apple Juice cost GBP 3:25, and a Flapjack costs GBP 2:00, which is what you expect to have to pay at a central London venue.
The Postal Museum is in Clerkenwell, slightly off the beaten track, and the walk from the London Underground stations at Holborn or Chancery Lane takes between ten and fifteen minutes.