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Pistols, packets and postmen

Thursday 16 August 2007

From highwaymen and mailcoaches to postmen and letterboxes, the range of treasures and histories in the unique W. V. Morten Postal History Collection at Haringey Council's Bruce Castle Museum will now be revealed to the world - thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The £49,800 grant will fund the project 'Pistols, Packets and Postmen' to catalogue and digitise the 30,000 items in this nationally-important collection.

The project will be delivered at Haringey's Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham, in partnership with the Communication Workers Union and The British Postal Museum and Archive.

Bruce Castle Museum is the former home of Sir Rowland Hill, the social reformer who, as the originator of the penny postage stamp, helped shape the British postal system we have today. The W. V. Morten collection was saved for the nation by the Communication Workers Union when they bought the original 8,000 items in a sale, and since 1927 has been on public access at Bruce Castle.

The grant will bring the bygone postal relics of the Morten collection into today's age of communication and technology. The digitisation of the project will create an online catalogue of the collection and will be a valuable educational resource available to an international audience - accessible by anyone from any part of the world.

Currently, because of the fragile nature of some items of the collection, it can only be seen by the public by appointment. Once digitised, the collection can be viewed in detail on screen without handling original material, ensuring its long-term preservation for future generations. There will also be opportunities for volunteers to help with this digitisation work, with training sessions to acquire new skills.

The project will also include educational workshops for schools and family learning groups to see and understand the collection, plus programmes of talks and reminiscence sessions. The partnership will also hold an exhibition at Bruce Castle Museum about 'Postal People' to celebrate the work of the people who staff the postal system. Work on appointing a project officer to oversee the work will begin in the autumn.

Said Councillor Dhiren Basu, Haringey cabinet member for Leisure, Culture and Life-long Learning:

"This is a great opportunity for us to focus on this unique and important collection of postal history at Bruce Castle Museum.

"Working with our partners, the grant will help us improve and increase educational access to these collections here in Haringey and develop valuable workshops and an education programme for volunteers, local schools and residents."

Tony Conder, Chief Executive, The British Postal Museum & Archive, said:

"We are delighted to be part of the Pistols, Packets and Postmen partnership project. It will help safeguard some unique material in the field of postal history, make it more accessible and bring its value to a whole new audience."

In welcoming the award, Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary of The Communication Workers Union said:

"The CWU is delighted that, through the Pistols, Packets and Postmen project, people everywhere will now be able to access the Morten Collection and see for themselves the remarkable story it tells about Postal People and their service to the community."

Explaining the importance of the award, HLF London Manager Sue Bowers said:

"As we all still rely on the post today, it is fascinating to see the impact that the postal service has had on people's lives over the last two centuries. Many people will now be able to explore this collection as it is opened up to virtual visitors across the UK and beyond."

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Notes for editors

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy. Since 1994 it has supported 26,000 projects allocating almost £4 billion across the UK.

Web: www.hlf.org.uk (external link)

Further details of project partners:

Bruce Castle Museum

Bruce Castle Museum is Haringey Council's local history museum and the official archive for the London borough of Haringey. The museum is a valued community resource, situated amongst the vibrant multi-cultural communities in Haringey. We actively collect material for our collections with different groups within the borough to either record their own heritage or participate in finding out more about the history of the area where they live.

For more information about Bruce Castle Museum in Haringey see www.haringey.gov.uk/brucecastlemuseum

Communication Workers Union

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is the biggest union for the communications industry in the UK, with 250,000 members. It was formed in January 1995 when the Union of Communication Workers joined forces with the National Communications Union.

CWU members work in the Post Office, BT and other telephone companies, cable TV, Accenture HR Services, the Alliance and Leicester and Girobank. Members' expertise includes engineering, computing, clerical, mechanical, driving, retail, financial and manual skills.

For more information about the Communication Workers Union go to www.cwu.org (external link)

The British Postal Museum and Archive

The BPMA is the leading resource for all aspects of British postal history. From staff records to stamps and from transport to telegrams it cares for the visual, written and physical records from over 400 years of innovation and service.

The BPMA is a combined museum and archive, bringing together The Royal Mail Archive and a Museum Store, which both illuminate the fascinating story of British communications.

The BPMA is working towards opening a new combined site, where objects from the museum collections will be on permanent public display alongside The Royal Mail Archive.

For more information about the British Postal Museum and Archive, see www.postalheritage.org.uk (external link)

The British Postal Museum and Archive is principally funded by The Royal Mail Group Plc.

The British Postal Museum and Archive is the public identity of the Postal Heritage Trust

Registered Charity Number 1102360, Company Number 4896056