The Mail Rail and Postal Museum are both located at Mount Pleasant Mail Sorting Centre, which is believed to be the largest automated mail sorting service anywhere. It caters for mail from all over the world as well as from within the UK.
Altogether our group had an enjoyable three hours or so to look round the Museum and learn about the workings of the post and about the vehicles and other items on display. There was an old red pillar box and and old red van on display too, so Postman Pat would have looked right at home around there!
As well as visiting the Postal Museum, our group were able to take part in an underground Mail Rail journey on a converted mail line. This was an experience not to be missed! We learnt all about London’s “secret and abandoned” rail line that was built beneath the streets of London to speed up mail transport. Apparently as many as 4 million letters used to be whizzed across London per day!
Rtn Gill Dixon, one of our visitors, said: “I certainly thoroughly enjoyed the day out and found the Museum & Train trip very interesting.” Many thanks to Rtn Raj Dasan for arranging the trip.
You can visit the Postal Museum (a charity) and Mail Rail website to find out more about visiting.
Picture: Exhibits in the Postal Museum. Picture credit: Gill Dixon/Rotary Club of Canterbury.
