A five-minute guide the little London engine that could (deliver the mail)
This curious London attraction is the perfect way to keep your kids learning this summer holiday (and adults will love it too), writes Gilly Pickup.
Until 2003, London mail was disseminated via underground tunnels to bypass traffic. Operating for 22 hours a day at its peak, it took 26 minutes for mail to travel 6½ miles and be delivered to various sorting offices across the capital.
One can still pay a visit to the technological vestige. Across the road from the Postal Museum in Phoenix Place, the Post Office Underground Railway — rebranded ‘Mail Rail’ to mark its 60th anniversary in 1987 — is still popular with those in the know. An accompanying Mail Rail exhibition runs from Tuesday to Sunday.
The Mail Rail at Mount Pleasant station, c.1969.
Mail Rail Diagram, 1926.
Construction work on the railway began in 1915, although it didn’t open until 1927 due to labour and material shortages caused by the First World War. During this time, precious artworks from the Tate, National Portrait Gallery and British Museum were stored in the tunnels to protect them from possible German attack. Among these treasures was the Rosetta Stone.
In its heyday, about four million pieces of mail were carried daily between its eight stations as it travelled from Paddington, under Wimpole Street; High Holborn; Mount Pleasant; and Liverpool Street to Whitechapel. The line operated until changing technology led to its closure, before it reopened as a tourist attraction in 2017.
Since then, the Mail Rail exhibition and 20-minute ride have been brought to life by an audio-visual show with interactive exhibits relating to the railway’s history • Riding on the train, passengers listen to narrative voices echoing through the narrow tunnels —which are much smaller than London Underground’s tunnels, at only 7ft to 9ft wide.
Mail Rail Diagram, c.1984.
Workers loading post c.1935.
Images and videos depicting the attraction’s history are projected onto the walls. En route, the train stops at Mount Pleasant’s platforms, a major hub for mail distribution for more than 130 years.
For more information about the Mail Rail and to purchase a ticket, see here.
This feature originally appeared in the August 5, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
