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BPMA Structure

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The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) is structured into these teams:

This staff structure diagram shows the staff who work here and may be useful if you have a specific enquiry and would like an idea of the expertise available:

BPMA Staff Structure January 2011 (PDF, 27KB)

Access & Learning

The BPMA is committed to increasing access to its collections for all possible groups and individuals. The Access & Learning team helps to achieve this goal by organising and delivering a wide range of exhibitions, events and activities – held at BPMA and partner venues across the country.

Our thriving events and exhibitions programme includes temporary, touring and permanent displays, walks, talks, tours, and family fun days. For information about upcoming activities, check out our What's On section.

We also encourage our users to spend time exploring the collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. Our informal and formal learning programme includes workshops, activities and resources aimed at audiences of all ages and backgrounds – from families with pre-school children, through primary and secondary education, to lifelong learners and community groups. Check out the Learning section for further details.

For more information about BPMA Access & Learning, please contact Andy Richmond, Access and Learning Manager on 020 7239 2568 or andy.richmond@postalheritage.org.uk

Admin/Central Functions

Admin and central functionsThe Admin/Central Functions team is headed by the Director, Adrian Steel. The team is responsible for managing a diverse range of areas such as:

  • Financial accounts
  • Human Resources
  • Training and development
  • The management reporting system (our strategies in action)
  • Board of Trustees meetings
  • Management meetings
  • Administrative support for BPMA projects

For further information on any of the areas managed by the Admin/Central Functions team, please contact:

Archives & Records Management

Archives and records managementThe Records Management team operate a records management service for Royal Mail Group, allowing the effective storage and retrieval of essential business information. Records management is also the first step in adding to the historic archive.

The Royal Mail Archive records the corporate history of The Post Office and the Royal Mail service over four hundred years. For most of this time the Post Office was a British government service, and so the archive is Public Record. This means it must be legally preserved and made available for everyone to use.

For further information on records management, please contact Vicky Parkinson, Head of Archives, on 020 7239 2128, vicky.parkinson@postalheritage.org.uk

Cataloguing

CataloguingThe Cataloguing team is responsible for recording data about the holdings of The British Postal Museum & Archive.

The bulk of material in the catalogue is from The Royal Mail Archive: this is Public Record material charting four centuries of Post Office history. The catalogue also allows you to search across our museum collections which includes items such as paintings, uniforms, vehicles and sorting equipment.

You can access the online catalogue through this website or by visiting our Search Room in central London.

For more information on the catalogue, please contact Gavin McGuffie, Catalogue Manager, on 020 7239 5145, gavin.mcguffie@postalheritage.org.uk

Curatorial & Preservation

Conservation and preservationThe Curatorial & Preservation team manage and care for our collections which include letter boxes, stamps, postal vehicles, paintings, hand stamps, archive documents and much more.

Our curators manage our existing collections as well as actively acquiring new objects to add more detail to the story of the British postal service.

Our conservation and preservation staff carry out treatments, oversee environmental monitoring of exhibition and storage areas, advise the curatorial staff on collections care and initiate collections condition surveys.

For more information on our curatorial & preservation activities, please contact:

Development & Communications

The Development & Communications Team is responsible for raising the profile of the BPMA, for introducing new audiences to our collections and keeping current ones informed, and for encouraging more people to get involved with our work.

We do this by working with the press and media, developing BPMA's website and expanding social media activity, and by creating publications to showcase the collections. We also undertake fundraising and pursue new business development and partnership opportunities with individuals, businesses and funders interested in supporting and working with the BPMA.

For more information about BPMA Development & Communications and to find out how you can get involved, please contact Deborah Turton, Head of Development & Communications, on 020 7239 2567, deborah.turton@postalheritage.org.uk

User Services

User servicesThe User Services team provide information about the records we hold and can be contacted by telephone, letter or email. We work in the Search Room to help visitors with their research. However, we can only advise on sources of possible use to you in our archive - our staff are not able to carry out research on your behalf. User Services staff also run tours behind the scenes of the archive, and talk to groups about the wealth of postal heritage cared for by the BPMA.

Take full advantage of the Search Room services we offer by visiting us. Use the online catalogue before your visit to see if we may have records that may help your research. You can buy products in the Search Room, or online in our Shop.

For any research-related queries, or general questions about the BPMA, please contact us by calling 020 7239 2570, or by emailing info@postalheritage.org.uk