London’s secret Mail Rail is one of the capital’s most surprising days out

The Mail Rail, London’s secret underground postal railway, has been carrying visitors beneath the city’s streets since 2017. It is one of the capital’s most surprising and rewarding days out.

Way back in the early 1900s, traffic congestion, poor weather and pollution were major problems for the Post Office when moving mail around London.

As early as 1909 they started looking at alternative ways of transporting mail quickly and safely.

Initially, ideas were based on the pneumatic tube. Some retailers used a similar system to move cash from counters to a back office. Various solutions were tested, from small tubes to a larger pneumatic rail system, but none proved successful.

During the First World War, however, the tunnels built for those rail systems found another useful purpose, providing safe storage for valuable items from the Tate, the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

In 1927 a more modern underground electric train service began delivering mail to sorting offices, linking six district offices with two mainline railway stations and carrying letters and parcels across the capital rapidly and safely. Interestingly, although it was 1927, the trains were driverless.

The service was hugely successful and continued in operation until 2003, when it was mothballed with no intention of ever being used again. In 2017, however, it was revived and redeveloped as a key visitor attraction and part of the new Postal Museum. The Mail Rail entrance is just across the road from the Postal Museum, both a few minutes’ walk from Farringdon Station.

I was pleasantly surprised by my visit. The exhibits are well displayed. There’s an opportunity to create a postage stamp with your own head on it, a working demonstration of the pneumatic tube delivery, an area dedicated to families, and both indoor and outdoor eating areas. It also has the largest collection of loos I have ever seen.

After exploring the museum exhibits and experiencing the hands-on elements, we headed across the road to the Mail Rail building. We had booked a boarding time, which is a good idea at busy periods, though a mid-week lunchtime visit was not crowded. What was obvious was a couple of groups of young schoolchildren who were clearly having a great time.

The railway carriages were not designed to carry people. They are somewhat compact but fitted with transparent domes so passengers get a great view of this unique structure. Once we had all boarded, the train, which now uses a driver, set off on a twenty-minute ride. It stopped a couple of times so passengers could watch videos of how the underground stations worked. The audio and visual commentaries were very well done.

It’s a unique insight into a part of London that has been hidden from the public for so long. I was very impressed with the quality of the content, the friendly staff and the fact that it appeals to people of all ages. My ticket is valid for a year. I may just go back again.

If you enjoyed this, Mike Pickup’s visit to the Henry Moore exhibition at Kew Gardens is worth reading next.

For more London arts and culture coverage, explore EyeOnLondon.

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