Mail Rail

Deep below central London’s streets lies a hidden feat of engineering – a railway that once kept the mail coursing through London for 22 hours every day.This subterranean network was first conceived of when Queen Victoria was on the throne, when the streets had becomed so congested with carts and carriages that the transporting of letters to and from railway stations was causing worrying delays. But it wasn't until 1928 that it become fully operational. By which time its underground tunnels had already been used during WWI to store treasures from the National Gallery, and then again in WWII as a subterranean shelter. Written and published in conjunction with the Postal Museum, this is an evocative history of a little known engineering feat, for railway and and postal enthusaists alike.