Philately Online: Ron Negus revisits Bath's postal museum

Originally published in British Philatelic Bulletin, the Royal Magazine for stamp collectors. - 14th February, 2008

(Volume 45 February 2008)

SINCE I LAST REVIEWED the site run by the Bath Postal Museum (Bulletin, December 2001), there have been a number of changes. The museum itself has moved to new premises, after receiving a grant of nearly a quarter of a million pounds in 2005 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In October of last year, their website was completely revised. Some parts of the previous website have been removed and some new sections have been introduced.

On the homepage, the statement that 'Bath has played a vital role in the development of the British postal service and boasts many firsts...' is a good summary of why the museum exists. Two navigation links below this encourage the user to 'Read more about the museum' or to 'Explore the museum'.

Those who choose to explore are then offered a choice of four subject pages. The first provides biographies of three key personalities who were involved with post office development, and who were also associated with Bath. These three are: Ralph Allen, John Palmer and Thomas Moore Musgrave.

The second section is headed 'History of the Post' and is the title given to a timeline that provides a guide to postal activities from 2000 BC to the present day. For the earliest dates, the museum has examples of a letter written on an Egyptian clay tablet, and another written on papyrus.

After this, the third section provides a history of British postboxes from 1854 to 1998. This part is illustrated with metal cast models of the various boxes, which can be purchased online from the museum's ebay shop. A direct link to this is provided on the site.

Finally, in the 'Explore' part of the site, access is made available to the Digital Collections held by the museum. These include images which have been scanned from the Postcard and early Valentines Collections, which were originally the property of the eminent postal historian, Frank Staff. Similar scanned images of Wreck Covers are also included here, on loan from the estate of Adrian Hopkins, the well-known collector who was also a former Mayor of Bath.

To add a touch of nostalgia, there are examples from the museum's holding of song sheets - sheet music of songs concerning postal matters, which were popular in Victorian and Edwardian days. They pre-date both radio and television as reminders of popular entertainment. Finally, the opportunity to explore is brought to an end with some photographs of postal workers. The Digital Collections are merely an introduction to the museum's current holdings, and more images are to be added in future.

Another main section of the website is headed 'Education'. This explains how the museum encourages visits from schools, adult groups, or researchers. Visitors can use the services provided by the volunteer staff, or design their own learning experience by using the museum's learning packs for each of the galleries.

The words which I used at the close of my ealier review of the previous website still seem relevant, and I repeat them here. 'The site is a fine example of how information of interest to stamp collectors can be combined with the commercial approach needed to attract visitors to the museum itself. Even if you cannot make the journey to Bath, you can still enjoy a virtual visit. You will find it worthwhile.'