Treasures Come To Light

The British Postal Museum & Archive, Tony Conder, CEO

20 January 2005

Our history through the post

Owns the Royal Mail Museum Collection

• Vehicles
• Pillar boxes
• Uniform
• Postal History
• Handstamps
• Ephemera

Importance of the Collection

• Royal Mail has been a major industry for over 375 years
• We represent continuity of an important National body
• The archives are Public Record
• We are a place of deposit
• We work under external verification

We Come From

• National Postal Museum
• Post Office Archive
• Changes to Royal Mail as a plc
• Protecting the Collection
• Postal Heritage Trust /March 2004
• The British Postal Museum & Archive- public identity

Where are we now

• A strong collection - you have seen the tip of the iceberg
• A professional staff of 27 people spread over 7 main areas
• Archive, Curatorial, Cataloguing, Conservation, Learning & Outreach, Records Management, Administration & Management,
• Facilities and changing times

What have we done

• Search Room - refurbishment, opening hours, exhibition area
• Museum Store, Debden - open days
• Catalogue - online and digitisation
• Outreach - concert, lectures, exhibitions, AHRB, events

Our Future

• Access
  • Physical
  • Virtual
  • Outreach

  A professional body

• A new site - Woolwich discussions
• New income - Business Development

Resolving Our Future

We will be talking and listening to many people - as we are doing with the Phillips Collection digitisation

• Friends
• Royal Mail
• Philatelic Advisory Panel
• Contacts and specialist groups
• Other professionals

Our Aims

• Markets - International, National and Local
• Royal Mail - serving the business, serving their customers
• Philately - working with existing groups, working with SS2010, working on developing the collecting base
• Developing a sustainable business