Volunteer Flora and the ‘box of doom’

My name is Flora, and I’m an MA Museum Studies student at the University of Leicester. Over April, I spent some time at BPMA, helping to audit and pack objects in preparation for the move.

Flora auditing and packing the museum collection.

I spent most of the time at Freeling House, delving into the archive downstairs. This included badges, ties, postcards, letters, publicity leaflets, and lots of other things. The postcards were particularly interesting, especially trying to make out the messages on the back of some of them. Less fun was counting a large number of duplicate badges for disposal – the total was 666 (as well as a small saxophone badge and a clip that looked as if it was from a pair of dungarees), so I think that definitely qualifies as a ‘box of doom’. We also found an old sign ‘In Case of Alarm of Fire’, with separate instructions for male and female employees (women were supposed to file out in pairs – I wonder what happened if there was an odd number?!).

Two days a week were spent out at the Museum Store in Debden, which is home to the larger (and often more unusual) objects. I can’t quite decide on my favourite; it’s a tie between the model of the HMS Queen Mary (complete with tiny moving lifeboats), parts of the Travelling Post Office (including a water boiler and food heater), or the Post Office ‘L’ Plates – I had no idea that the Post Office used to teach their own drivers.

Model of the HMS Queen Mary.

One day involved packing lots of vehicle parts, helpfully listed as ‘assorted unknown parts’; luckily, another volunteer with an extensive knowledge of cars was on hand to help us identify what we were actually packing. There were definitely a few more challenges out in Debden – lots of oddly shaped objects that, just as you thought you’d finally wrapped them up, would burst back through the acid-free tissue paper and make a bid for freedom. I also got to dust a couple of post boxes and post vans which was fun – leading to complaints from my mum about my reluctance to dust at home.

I also spent two days down in the corner of the archive checking the old uniforms for signs of moth activity. There were a few false alarms (including a set of disintegrating shoulder pads in one of the jackets), but luckily, no signs of infestation (I did find one jacket with a few worn patches, but decided that moths probably haven’t yet developed the intelligence to eat in a completely straight line!). The range of uniforms hiding in the corner was astounding: I found Danish uniforms (both town and country, and summer and winter – clearly the Danes like their uniforms), as well as Canadian and Swiss ones. There were also Foreign Office uniforms, from when the General Post Office won the contract to dress some departments of the Civil Service as well as their own employees. It was amazing (and slightly terrifying) to be touching fabric that was over one hundred years old in some cases, but it was all remarkably well preserved. I also never realised quite how heavy overcoats were, especially the thick woollen ones.

Flora condition checking the uniform collection.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and it’s been a great introduction to the practical side of collections documentation and management (rule number one: the collections database CALM is anything but!). I’d also like to say a huge thank you to Emma and Sarah for putting up with me (and for the plentiful supply of tea, biscuits and occasional cake out at Debden!)

See our Volunteers page to find out about volunteering at BPMA.

The Last Straw: a brief look at complaints

Whilst I was working on some uncatalogued documents, I came across a file regarding the gumming of postage stamps. Not necessarily the most engaging of topics, you might think, but what attracted my interest was a number of letters to the General Post Office (GPO) dating from the 1950s to the 1970s. These were written by customers complaining about the poor quality of the gum used to affix stamps to mail. Some were very entertaining, and got me thinking about the nature of complaint. It’s a commonly-held belief that modern life in Britain isn’t a patch on “the good old days”, but as these letters show, the people of the past often held the same view.

In the early 1970s, the Post Office decided to switch the adhesive used on stamps from gum Arabic to Polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA. However, this didn’t go down well with the public, as it appeared that the glue was not the best quality, and often came loose from the paper. In 1973, complaints ranged from the light-hearted (“do you think you may spare a lick more glue on 3p stamps?”) to the exasperated (“it is not a habit of mine to write and complain – but this is the last straw!”). A confused postal sorter asked “is it the gum or the lack of spit?” One customer was enraged by the GPO’s reply stating that as 7,000 million stamps were produced per year, some defective ones were bound to “slip through”, and huffily replied that as he had experienced this problem constantly for the past 8 weeks, it seemed rather to be the general standard. It wasn’t just the gum that was causing annoyance; the perforations came in for criticism too: “until now I had been disturbed by the feeling that lavatorial jokes based on the line ‘nothing tears along the dotted edge’ were founded in myth”.

I found it interesting to see how complaints can be timeless; one dissatisfied customer lamented that “the Britain of the past seems to have gone, everything is inferior, most of the employees have no time for doing a proper job for having strikes”. Going back further in time, to the First World War, I discovered a letter from a union of discharged soldiers complaining that men were being refused postal employment in favour of women, who the writer believed were being hired because their wages were cheaper. You can well imagine someone making a similar complaint today.

One of the best things about working at the BPMA is that you can get the chance to see little snippets of human life such as these, as well as the records of policy and administration we hold. It’s a great way of seeing how society has progressed, or, in some cases, has remained exactly the same.

- Robin Sampson, Archives/Records Assistant

Archive material used:

POST 52/1052 - “Complaints about PVA Gum on stamps”

POST 47/64 - “Complaint that Men have been Refused Employment at the Home Depot in Favour of Women”

This blog was researched at the Royal Mail Archive, located at BPMA’s headquarters in Clerkenwell, London. There are millions of stories to uncover at the Royal Mail Archive, see our website for Archive opening hours and visitor information.

Pillar Box Perfection – Open Day at the Museum Store

Here at the British Postal Museum and Archive we are firm believers in hugging pillar boxes. Why, you ask? Because not only does it show your love for their intriguing history and vast variation in design of course, but it can reveal something very important about their story…

Join us on Saturday 6th April, 10am-4pm as we open the doors of our museum store to reveal some of these fascinating tales. There will be a range of activities for all ages to celebrate this British icon – the pillar box.

Pillar boxes at the Museum Store.

What can you do on the day?

Talks

We will be running a series of ‘spotlight’ talks, where you can hear about the stories behind some of our favourite pillar boxes. Highlights include one of the earliest boxes trialled on the Channel Islands and the ‘Penfold’. Why did Liverpool request a ‘special’ box? What indeed will you learn from hugging a pillar box? Come and find out more, with our staff on hand to introduce you to the wonderful world of pillar boxes!

Our curators will give you a quick introduction to pillar boxes.

Have a browse

Take a walk down ‘pillar box alley’ or take a look at our fleet of postal service vehicles illustrating the long history of moving the mail in a self led exploration of the collection. BPMA staff will also be on hand to answer questions.

Postal vehicles at the Museum Store.

Especially for families….

Trail

Past and present, the pillar box has played an important role in a process which has had a remarkable impact on the lives of many – communicating through letters! But what journey does a letter take from it leaving the hands of the sender to it being popped on the door mat of the receiver? Find out by having a go at our trail around the store! Hunt for objects and solve puzzles to reveal this amazing journey.

Here is a teaser from the trail – but you’ll have to come to the store to find out the mystery object!

Can you identify the mystery object?

Craft Activity

Get creative by designing and making your own pillar box! Celebrate the important role it played in the letter sending journey by designing it to hold your important letters – maybe it could store your post cards or letters from pen pals!

What will your pillar box hold? What about your post cards?

This post card from our collection was never delivered, perhaps the rather upset writer of the card received their trotters just before feeling the need to send it!

Tripe but but no trotters – an everyday postcard from the 1890s.(2010-0426/27)

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 6th April at the museum store!

Pillar Box Perfection is a free event taking place at The British Postal Museum Store, Essex, on 6 April 2013. See our website for more information and travel advice.

Doctor Who on stamps

Today sees Royal Mail celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world’s longest running science fiction series in TV history – Doctor Who – with the launch of a special set of 11 stamps.

The stamps feature each of the actors who have played the role of the Time Lord over the last 50 years. The stamp design sees the faces of each Doctor appearing out of the iconic swirling screen idents, made famous by the opening credits of the TV show. The first two stamps are in black and white, as the first two incarnations of the Doctor were broadcast in monochrome.

In addition to the 11 stamps featuring the Doctors, a five stamp miniature sheet will also be available. In the centre of the sheet is a stamp featuring the Doctor’s space and time travelling machine, the world famous Time and Relative Dimension in Space or the TARDIS as it is more commonly known. The remaining four stamps feature some of the Doctor’s most famous foes; a Dalek, a Cyberman, an Ood and a Weeping Angel.

Doctor Who miniature sheet.

Doctor Who – Stamp by stamp

1st Class – The Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith

1st Class – The Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith

With his trademark tweed jacket and bow tie Matt Smith was the youngest actor appointed to play the role. Regenerating from David Tennant in the 2010 Christmas special, Smith’s Doctor’s original companions were Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her boyfriend Rory (Arthur Darvill) until 2012. His present companion is Clara (Jenna-Louise Colman). The series marked the return of the Silurians, new villains like the Silence and regular appearances of Alex Kingston as the Doctor’s wife River Song.

1st Class – The Tenth Doctor David Tennant

1st Class – The Tenth Doctor David Tennant

Kitted out in a slim fitting pinstripe suit, long brown coat, spiky hair and trainers Tennant’s Doctor was a garrulous extravert with a tendency to babble. He also had a darker more ruthless side when dealing with enemies. Regenerating from Christopher Eccleston at the end of the 2005 series, Tennant’s Doctor’s companions were Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). Returning villains included the Cybermen, Dalek leader Davros and the Master alongside new aliens like the Ood and the Weeping Angels.

1st Class – The Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston

1st Class – The Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston

With his leather jacket, jeans and Northern accent Eccleston’s Doctor was a radical departure from previous incarnations. He ushered in the rebooted 2005 series, with his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) at his side and a brand new TARDIS set. The series also saw the reintroduction of the Daleks and the Autons alongside new villains like the Slitheen.

1st Class – The Eighth Doctor Paul McGann

1st Class – The Eighth Doctor Paul McGann

Taking on the role for the 1996 made-for-television film, McGann’s Doctor regenerates in a San Francisco hospital mortuary after being caught in a gangland shooting. The Doctor fought his old enemy the Master for the fate of the earth on Millennium Eve, and shared a kiss with Dr. Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook). Although critically well received, this one off adventure was ultimately unsuccessful as a pilot for a new series

1st Class – The Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy

1st Class – The Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy

McCoy played the Doctor from 1987 to the series cancellation in 1989. This Doctor began as an outwardly bumbling eccentric with the habit of playing the spoons, but developed into a cunning manipulator of his enemies. His assistants were Mel (Bonnie Langford) and later Ace (Sophie Aldred). McCoy made a brief appearance as the 7th Doctor in the 1996 TV Movie before regenerating into Paul McGann.

1st Class – The Sixth Doctor Colin Baker

1st Class – The Sixth Doctor Colin Baker

Kitted out in a multi-coloured frock coat, yellow trousers and orange spats Baker’s Doctor was bombastic and overbearing egoist. However, beneath this brash exterior he retained a strong sense of morality and empathy. Playing the role between 1984 and 1986 he was assisted by Peri (Nicola Brown) and Mel (Bonnie Langford) and was put on trial by his own people, the Time Lords.

1st Class – The Fifth Doctor Peter Davison

1st Class – The Fifth Doctor Peter Davison

Davison took on the role between 1981 and 1984. His costume was based on an Edwardian cricketers’ outfit, down to the cricket ball carried in his pocket. More of a team player than previous Doctors, Davison was assisted by Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), air hostess Tegan (Janet Fielding), alien assassin Turlough (Mark Strickson), the android Kamelion (Gerald Flood) and Peri (Nicola Bryant).

1st Class – The Fourth Doctor Tom Baker

1st Class – The Fourth Doctor Tom Baker

The longest serving incarnation of the Doctor to date, Tom Baker played the role from 1974 to 1981. A tall figure with boggling eyes and wild curly hair, Baker’s Doctor favoured an absurdly long scarf and a frock coat with pockets stuffed full of useful junk and bags of jelly babies. Brooding and eccentric, Baker’s Doctor is the one most frequently referenced in popular culture. His assistants included Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter), the savage Leela (Louise Jameson), robot dog K-9, Time Lord Romana (Mary Tamm and Lalla Ward), Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and air hostess Tegan (Janet Fielding).

1st Class – The Third Doctor Jon Pertwee

1st Class – The Third Doctor Jon Pertwee

Between 1970 and 1974, Pertwee’s Doctor was a 1970s dandy in frilled shirts and velvet suits, and the first Doctor to be filmed in colour. He was also a bit of an action man. Stranded on Earth and forced to regenerate as a punishment by the Time Lords, Pertwee’s Doctor worked with the military taskforce UNIT to save the planet from creatures like the Autons, Silurians, Sea Devils, Sontarans and renegade Time Lord the Master. He was assisted by Liz Shaw (Caroline John), Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and journalist Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen).

1st Class – The Second Doctor Patrick Troughton

1st Class – The Second Doctor Patrick Troughton

Regenerating from William Hartnell in The Tenth Planet, Troughton’s tenure as the Doctor between 1966 and 1969 saw the show move towards faster paced stories with more monsters. Often described as a cosmic hobo, Troughton’s Doctor favoured a baggy suit and bow tie and often played the penny whistle. During his travels he was assisted by Polly (Anneke Wills), sailor Ben Jackson (Michael Craze), Highlander Jamie (Frazer Hines), Victoria (Deborah Watling) and future astro-physicist Zoe (Wendy Padbury).

1st Class – The First Doctor William Hartnell

1st Class – The First Doctor William Hartnell

From the show’s start in 1963 through to 1966, Hartnell played the Doctor as an irascible old man in Edwardian dress. Initially accompanied by his granddaughter Susan (Carol Ann Ford) and her teachers Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) and Ian (William Russell) their adventures through time and space were intended to educate young viewers about history and science. The introduction of the Daleks in the second serial secured the show’s success, leading to it becoming on the world’s longest running science fiction series. Hartnell’s Doctor later met the Cybermen and was joined by orphan Vicki (Maureen O’Brien), space pilot Steven Taylor (Peter Purves), ancient Trojan Katerina (Adrienne Hill), Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh), Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane), Polly (Anneke Wills) and sailor Ben Jackson (Michael Craze).

Doctor Who Miniature Sheet – Stamp by stamp

1st Class – TARDIS

1st Class – TARDIS

The TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) is the Doctor’s ship, capable of travelling anywhere in space and time. A product of Time Lord technology, the interior of the ship is much larger than its exterior. The Doctor’s TARDIS is an unreliable, obsolete TT Type 40, Mark 3 TARDIS with a faulty chameleon circuit, stuck in the shape of a mid-twentieth century police telephone box.

2nd Class – The Ood

2nd Class – The Ood

Humanoid in appearance, but with tentacles on the lower portions of their faces, the Ood speak through a translator device: a small sphere connected to their “mouths” by a tube. The tube originally connected their bodies to a hive brain, but in the far future, a cruel human organisation isolated them from the brain and used them as a slave race. Their first appearance was in The Impossible Planet, 2006.

2nd Class – Cyberman

2nd Class – Cyberman

The Cybermen were originally humanoids originating on Earth’s twin planet Mondas. They implanted more and more artificial parts into their bodies leaving them coldly logical and calculating cyborgs, with every emotion deleted from their minds. Their first appearance was in The Tenth Planet in 1966. The Cybermen returned as a parallel universe version in the 2006 two-part story, Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel, and have been recurring villains in the revived series ever since.

2nd Class – Weeping Angel

2nd Class – Weeping Angel

The Weeping Angels are an ancient race of aliens that feed off the time energy created by sending their victims back in time. When they are not being observed by another being, they can move very quickly and silently, but when they are being watched, they become “quantum-locked”, occupying a single position in space and becoming stone. If two Weeping Angels look at each other at the same time, they are trapped in stone form until an outside force moves them apart, so they cover their eyes while moving, giving the impression that they are weeping. Their first appearance was in Blink in 2007

2nd Class – Dalek

2nd Class – Dalek

Bent on dominating the Universe the Daleks were created on the planet Skaro by the crazed scientist Davros when he implanted mutant Kaled bodies into tank-like robotic shells during the thousand-year war between the Kaleds and the Thals. They have had every emotion purged except hate, leaving them with the desire to purge the Universe of all non-Dalek life. They are popularly known for their catchphrase “Exterminate!” and are a well-recognised reference point in British popular culture. The Daleks first appeared in 1963’s The Daleks.

Bonus Doctor Who

44p – Dalek from Doctor Who, The Entertainers’ Tale issue, 1 June 1999

In 1999 Royal Mail released The Entertainers’ Tale issue, which included a 44p value stamp showing a Dalek from Doctor Who. Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, footballer Bobby Moore and film star Charlie Chaplin were also featured on stamps in this issue.

The Royal Mail Archive holds this photo showing two Daleks trying to board the Sittingbourne Postbus, and being rather challenged by the step up into the vehicle! We think that these galactic conquerors were at large in Sittingbourne because it was the home of Doctor Who writer Terry Nation, the man who created the Daleks.

Daleks try to board the Sittingbourne postbus, 1970s

The Doctor Who stamps are available online at www.royalmail.com/stamps, by phoning Royal Mail on 08457 641 641, and in 9,000 Post Office branches across the UK.

Postmasters General

The head of the Post Office has been known by many different titles, but from 1657 to 1969 the holder of this position was called the Postmaster General. Postmasters General were Cabinet-level ministers, selected by the Prime Minister from amongst the members of Parliament or the House of Lords.

One notable Postmaster General was Henry Fawcett, Member of Parliament for Hackney under Prime Minister William Gladstone. Although only Postmaster General for four and half years (1880-1884), Fawcett was responsible for introducing the Post Office Savings Bank savings stamp, the Parcel Post, postal orders and the sixpenny telegram, amongst other things. A Liberal, Fawcett was also Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University, an early supporter of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, a campaigner for women’s suffrage, and the husband of suffragist and political activist Millicent Garrett Fawcett. In 2009 Philip Jeffs of the Royal National Institute of the Blind blogged for us on Fawcett’s disability; having been blinded in a shooting accident at the age of 25 Fawcett reportedly told his father: “Well, it shan’t make any difference in my plans of life!”

Henry Fawcett, Postmaster General 1880-1884. (2012/0129-02)

Other famous Postmasters General include Neville Chamberlain, Postmaster General 1922-1923 and Prime Minister 1937-1940, Clement Attlee, Postmaster General 1931 and Prime Minister 1945-1951, and Tony Benn, who was Postmaster General from 1964-1966 and later held a number of other cabinet positions including Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in 1974. Tony Benn’s tenure as Postmaster General is remembered as being a time of change, when the portrait of the monarch was removed from stamps in favour of the cameo head.

Tony Benn, Postmaster General 1964-1966. (P9183)

In 1969 the Post Office became a Corporation headed by a Chairman, and government responsibility for the organisation came under the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. When that ministerial position was abolished in 1974 postal services came under the Department of Industry. Today Royal Mail Group is overseen by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable, and headed by Chairman Donald Brydon and Chief Executive Moya Greene.

For a complete list Postmasters General and the holders of other senior positions see our webpage on Leadership of the Post Office. Photographs of a number of Postmasters General and Assistant Postmasters General can be viewed on Flickr. For more on 20th Century Postmaster General see Adrian Steel’s blog post The Office of Postmaster General: Its holders in the Twentieth Century.

Post & Go Freshwater Life – Ponds

Royal Mail’s first Post & Go Stamps for 2013 are a series on wildlife found in the habitat of UK ponds, available on a series of six stamps from today. The Ponds Post & Go stamps feature three species familiar and widespread in the UK and three which are endangered and protected by law.

Post & Go Freshwater Life – Ponds stamps.

Lesser Silver Water Beetle

Lesser Silver Water Beetle stamp.

About 15cm long the lesser silver water beetle, Hydrochara caraboides, is a species of water scavenger beetle. Although the beetle is actually black, hairs on the underside of its body trap a silvery looking air bubble that enables the beetle to breathe underwater, giving the beetle its name. Eggs are laid in spring or early summer, and the larvae are often found from May to July, floating just below the surface. Adults are herbivores and feed on decaying plant matter, but the larvae are carnivores, and feed on water snails.

In the UK it is found only in the Somerset Levels, Cheshire and north-east Wales. It is classified as an endangered species protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Three-Spined Stickleback

Three-Spined Stickleback stamp.

The three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is larger of our two sticklebacks. It is usually 5cm long (but may reach, exceptionally, twice that length). In front of the dorsal fin there are the three spines that give the fish its name (though some individuals may have 2 or 4). The stickleback can live in fresh, brackish or salt water and is found in ditches, ponds, lakes, backwaters, quiet rivers, sheltered bays, marshes, and harbours.

Smooth Newt

Smooth Newt stamp.

Also known as the Common Newt, Lissotriton vulgaris is found throughout Europe except the far north, areas of Southern France, and the Iberian peninsula. Females and non-breeding males are pale brown or olive green, often with two darker stripes on the back. Both sexes have an orange belly, although in females it is paler. This is covered in rounded black spots. They have a pale throat with conspicuous spots. During the breeding season, males develop a continuous wavy crest that runs from their head to their tail, and their spotted markings become more apparent. They are also distinguishable from females by their fringed toes.

Like other amphibians their eggs are laid in the water and hatch into tadpoles, which eventually develop into air breathing adults

Fairy Shrimp

Fairy Shrimp stamp.

The fairy shrimp Chirocephalus diaphanous, is a beautiful, translucent crustacean, which lacks a carapace. It has a relatively large number of segments and bears 11 pairs of legs fringed with bristles; the head curves downwards, and in males the second pair of antennae are modified ‘claspers’ for grabbing females during mating. Fairy shrimps swim around on their backs, propelled by the constantly moving legs.

They hatch during the cooler parts of the year, as water returns to their shallow ponds, which dried out during the summer. They reach maturity over winter, then lay eggs, which can survive long periods of drought and then die when their ponds dry out in spring. It is found in no more than 100 ponds in the whole of the UK.

Fairy shrimps are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act and can be found in Hampshire’s New Forest, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, on Salisbury Plain, in parts of the Sussex Weald, as well as in Oxfordshire, East Anglia and South Wales.

Emperor Dragonfly

Emperor Dragonfly stamp.

The Emperor Dragonfly, Anax imperator, is a large and powerful species of hawker dragonfly averaging 78 millimetres in length. It is found in Europe, Africa and Asia. Males have a sky blue abdomen with a black dorsal stripe and an apple green thorax. Females have a green thorax and abdomen. The species lives by ponds, gravel pits, and slow rivers, where they feed on other insects and tadpoles.

Eggs are laid on pondweed and the larvae develop underwater as ferocious predators feeding on invertebrates, tadpoles and even small fish.

Glutinous Snail

Glutinous Snail stamp.

The glutinous snail, Myxas glutinosa is a small air-breathing freshwater snail. This snail is unusual in that it extends its almost transparent mantle to completely cover the shell when moving, giving the animal a glass-like appearance. It also makes the animal sticky to the touch, hence its common name. It is only found in very clear, clean ponds, lakes and canals.

This species has undergone a big decline, and while it was once found throughout the UK it is now known from only one site in Wales. As a result it is classified as Endangered in the UK and protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The reasons for its decline are almost certainly due to water pollution particularly from nutrient enrichment.

Ponds is the first of three Post & Go sets to be issued in 2013 – all on the subject of the UK’s freshwater life. As with all previous Post & Go stamps to date, Royal Mail commissioned Kate Stephens to produce the designs. These were illustrated by lino-cut artist Chris Wormell. The national charity Pond Conservation has advised on all the stamp sets. The charity works in all freshwater environments and runs the successful annual Big Pond Dip, where the public is invited to monitor local ponds for life.

The Ponds Post & Go stamps will be available from Post & Go terminals in 146 Post Office branches. The initial design used for the self-adhesive stamps, which are overprinted with the postage on demand, featured the profile of Her Majesty the Queen created by Arnold Machin and used on UK definitive stamps. Pictorial versions of these new kinds of stamps were introduced with Birds of Britain in 2010 and 2011 followed by British Farm Animals in 2012.

Post & Go terminals allow customers to weigh their letters and packets, pay for and print postage stamps and labels without the need to visit the counter. The first Post & Go machine was trialled in The Galleries Post Office in Bristol in 2008. Since 2008 over 220 terminals have been installed in 146 branches. BPMA has a Post & Go machine located in the foyer of the Royal Mail Archive which is currently offering the Union Flag and gold Machin designs.

Jane Austen on stamps

The work of Jane Austen, the author behind timeless works such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma, is celebrated on a new set of stamps issued by Royal Mail today. The stamp issue coincides with the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Austen stamps, issued 21 February 2013. 1st Class – Sense and Sensibility, 1st Class – Pride and Prejudice, 77p – Mansfield Park, 77p – Emma, £1.28 – Northanger Abbey, £1.28 – Persuasion.

Designers Webb & Webb were commissioned by Royal Mail to devise the Jane Austen stamps with the six chosen novels brought to life via original and newly commissioned Angela Barrett illustrations.

These are not the first Royal Mail stamps to commemorate Jane Austen, a set of four stamps was issued in 1975 to mark the author’s birth bicentenary.

Birth Bicentenary of Jane Austen stamps, issued 22 October 1975. 7p – Emma & Mr Woodhouse (Emma), 8p – Catherine Morland (Northanger Abbey), 10p – Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), 12p – Mary and Henry Crawford (Mansfield Park).

The BPMA holds the original artwork and designs for the 1975 stamps in the Royal Mail Archive, and facsimiles of some of these can be seen at our stall at Stampex.

Designs by Barbara Brown shown to the Stamp Advisory Committee on 5 June 1975. Three designs were approved, subject to clarification of the captions. A decision was deferred relating to the design showing Emma and Mr Woodhouse. (QEII-117-21)

Stamps and stamp products are available at most Post Office branches, online at www.royalmail.com/janeausten and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 08457 641 641), 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.

Spring Stampex 2013

On Wednesday 20th February 2013, the British National Stamp Exhibition Stampex will open its doors again to the philatelic community and anyone interested in stamps, postal history and other related items. The Friends of the BPMA will be there again at stand no. 55, near the Royal Mail stand, to talk about upcoming events and activities, and offer a great selection of products from the BPMA Shop.

Stalls at Stampex

Stampex takes place at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0QH from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd February 2013, and will be open as follows:

Wednesday - 11.30am–7.00pm
Thursday & Friday - 10.00am–6.00pm
Saturday - 10.00am–5.00pm

Admission is free – so come along to visit the Friends of the BPMA who will have more information on the BPMA’s fundraising plans towards our new museum and archive.

New Postal Museum & Archive, Calthorpe House, London.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to buy tickets for the talk by stamp enthusiast Chris West on A History of Britain in 36 Postage Stamps which will take place on Thursday evening, 21st February 2013, at 7pm at the Phoenix Centre, next door to the Royal Mail Archive in Clerkenwell, only 20 minutes walk from the Business Design Centre.

There will be plenty of material on display showcasing items from our collections such as a replica of a large-size green Victorian Penfold pillar box, advertising the upcoming Pillar Box Perfection open day at our Museum Store in Debden, Essex on 6th April 2013.

Pillar boxes at the Museum Store.

We will be showing a selection of images of the Post Office Underground railway (Mail Rail) – a fascinating part of London’s postal heritage and ‘secret underground’ – as well as visuals of Post Office Magazine covers, which feature in our touring exhibition The Post Office in Pictures.

Post Office Underground Railway – train in tunnel. (POST 118/382)

As Royal Mail will be launching a set of Jane Austen stamps celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, we will also display images of the stamp issues to celebrate the Bicentenary of Jane Austen’s birth in 1975. As part of our Stamp Artwork Project, which has been generously funded by the Aurelius Charitable Trust, the Leche Trust and The Charles Hayward Foundation, these stamps and more artwork from 1975-1985 have been digitised and provided with fully researched stamp histories and catalogue entries in order to enable public access to the BPMA’s extensive collection of British stamps. They will be added to our online catalogue in April.

Finally, there will be special offers on BPMA philatelic products and the latest newcomers to the BPMA product range such as the Telegram Messenger postcard set and Chris West’s book First Class – A History of Britain in 36 Postage Stamps.

New telegram messenger postcard set.

Year of the Snake stamps

To mark the start of the Year of the Snake, Royal Mail has issued a limited-edition stamp sheet featuring celebrations by Chinese communities around the UK alongside intricate designs representing all five elemental snake types.

Year of the Snake stamp sheet.

The striking and multi-faceted sheet comprises 20 fireworks Smilers stamps alongside images of five UK Chinatowns. These are joined by the elemental snake types – Metal, Earth, Fire, Wood and Water – as well as images reflecting the aspirations of Hope, Heritage, Success, Togetherness and Good Fortune.

Elemental snake types stamps – Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.

Good Fortune, Togetherness, Success, Heritage and Hope stamps.

Stamps representing the Chinatowns in Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester are adorned with traditional Chinese dragons, with London and Cardiff the other cities featured. The sheet also features four large illustrations of red and orange snakes winding their way around the outside of the sheet.

Chinatowns stamps – London, Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester.

The stamps follow on from the huge success of Royal Mail’s first ‘Lunar New Year: Year of the Dragon’ sheet from 2012.

London boasts one of the oldest Chinese communities in the UK with records showing some of the earliest settlers in Bow, east London.

Today there are significant Chinese communities in cities all across the country, most notably; London; Manchester; Birmingham; Liverpool; Sheffield and Edinburgh – with most featuring a Chinatown – an area rich in Chinese culture and business. The original Chinatown was situated in Liverpool – however this was destroyed during the Second World War.

A Statistical Bulletin published in May 2011 for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated the Chinese population in the UK as 451,500.

Cantonese is the predominant language spoken by Chinese living in the UK, followed by Mandarin Chinese and Hakka Chinese.

The Lunar New Year Commemorative Sheet is available in 350 local Post Offices across the UK, online at www.royalmail.com/snake and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 08457 641 641), 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.

For Chinese customers, the sheets can be purchased from Emily Lee at Stanley Gibbons on elee@stanleygibbons.com or from Stanley Gibbons (Asia) Ltd.,10/F Central Building, 1-3 Pedder Street, Central, Hong Kong.

See Year of the Snake stamps from around the world on our Chinese New Year Pinterest board.

Postal Vehicles

When people come on one of our Museum Store tours they often remark on the wide range of postal vehicles we have in our collection. The vehicles we care for range from bicycles and motorcycles to large delivery vans.

Today’s Royal Mail vehicles fleet is sourced for a small number of suppliers, but in the early days a great many manufacturers were used. It would be impossible for us to collect and maintain an example of every different type, but we do have photographic records and other material related to many of these vehicles in the Royal Mail Archive.

Recently we uploaded a small number of photographs showing some unusual and interesting postal vehicles to our Flickr site. Amongst these are the first motor vehicle used for mails in Scotland and a Motor Parcel Coach, both dating from circa 1908.

First motor vehicle used for mails in Scotland, c. 1908. (POST 118/5725)

Also of interest are postal vehicles in interesting settings, such as the General Post Office (GPO) trolley basket parked at the base of the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway in Devon and a Postbus parked near spectacular cliffs on the coast of Barra in the Outer Hebrides.

Lynmouth cliff railway and General Post Office trolley basket, Devon. (POST 118/1300)

Finally, petrolheads may be interested in several images from the GPO repair shop in Harrow showing mechanics at work servicing vehicles.

For more on postal vehicles see our online exhibition Moving the Mail.