Anytime Casper sees a red vehicle or person wearing any red garment, we’re pretty much guaranteed the glorious reaction of frantic waving accompanied by “Mama, Po Ma Pat!”. That chirpy bloke from Greendale, with his black and white cat and fancy new helicopter has a lot to answer for in our house. With a penchant for Pat and believing every parcel and letter that comes to our house is his, it made the invitation for Cas and I to check out the latest attraction at the fascinating Postal Museum a no-brainer.
We spent the morning exploring the recently opened, beautifully designed, innovative, interractive play space – ‘Sorted!’ (See what they’ve done there?!). Created with under-8s in mind Sorted! brings postal play to life in its miniature postal world; complete with pint-sized post office counters, an abundance of post-themed fancy dress, a sorting office with conveyor belt and slide, a life-size (if you’re a small person) postal van and, oh, did I mention a refreshments cart selling fresh coffee and teas! Casper quite literally couldn’t contain his excitement – at every turn there was an excited squeal as he posted letters, weighed parcels, drove the van, made phone calls from the red phone boxes and, his favourite, pushing the red mail trolley along the road flooring.
The only thing that convinced Casper to leave his new little land of mail was the promise of a subterranean train! The Postal Museum’s main attraction is set in the former engineering depot of Mail Rail – given a revamp, with people friendly carriages and a few surprises along the tracks – you can take a 20-minute ride in the stalactite filled tunnels and explore the charmingly nostalgic world of London’s underground mail system, with nods to its deep historical roots.
The Postal Museum really delivered the unexpected and I’ll definitely be heading back with the older boys as there’s something to keep everyone amused, happy and enthralled. After all, who doesn’t love playing post offices?!
Sessions to Sorted! last 45 minutes and are available on their own (£5 per child), or as an add-on adventure to your museum visit. For all the info on buying tickets head HERE! With a buggy park, ground floor access, clean/modern changing facilities and loos within Sorted!, refreshments and a comfy seating area it’s perfect for a quick, fun stop with the littles, or worth the visit from out of town during the school hols.
This post(!) was sponsored by The Postal Museum, however, as ever all comments, opinions and anecdotes are my own.
