Royal Mail facts for kids
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Trade name
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Royal Mail |
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Native name
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Formerly
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| Founded | 1516 (Master of Posts) 31 July 1635 (public service) 29 December 1660 (Post Office Act 1660) |
| Founder | Henry VIII |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
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United Kingdom |
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| Parent | International Distributions Services |
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Royal Mail is a British company that delivers letters and parcels. It is owned by International Distributions Services. Royal Mail handles letters and parcels, while Parcelforce Worldwide focuses on parcels. For a short time in the early 2000s, the company was called Consignia.
Royal Mail collects and delivers mail across the UK. You can drop letters and parcels into red pillar boxes or post boxes. Businesses can also have their mail collected. These items then go to Royal Mail sorting offices. The famous red pillar boxes were first used in 1852. They often have the royal symbol of the king or queen who was ruling when they were made. Deliveries happen every day except Sundays and bank holidays. Royal Mail aims to deliver first-class mail the next business day.
For most of its history, Royal Mail was a public service. This means it was run by the government. In 2013, most of Royal Mail's shares were sold on the London Stock Exchange. This happened after the Postal Services Act 2011. The UK government kept a 30% share at first. But in 2015, they sold their remaining shares. This ended 499 years of government ownership.
Contents
Royal Mail's Journey Through Time
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Royal Mail's story began in 1516. That's when Henry VIII created the "Master of the Posts" job. This job was later renamed "Postmaster General" in 1710.
When James VI became King of England in 1603, he moved to London. He quickly set up a royal postal service. This service ran between London and Edinburgh. He wanted to keep control over the Scottish government.
The Royal Mail service became available to the public on 31 July 1635. King Charles I made this possible. People had to pay for the postage when they received the mail.
During the 1640s, the postal service was run by Edmund Prideaux. He made many improvements. In 1657, a law was passed to create one postal service. This covered all of Great Britain and Ireland. The first Postmaster General was officially appointed in 1661.
How Mail Coaches Changed Delivery
After the monarchy returned in 1660, the General Post Office (GPO) was officially started by Charles II.
Between 1719 and 1763, Ralph Allen helped grow Britain's postal network. He was a postmaster in Bath. He organized mail coaches. These coaches looked like regular family coaches. But they had the Post Office's special colors.
The first mail coach ran in 1784. It traveled between Bristol and London. Delivery staff got uniforms for the first time in 1793. The Post Office also started an investigation team. The first mail train began in 1830. It ran on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. In 1838, the Post Office introduced a money order system.
The Penny Post Revolution
In December 1839, the first big change happened. Postage rates were updated by the Uniform fourpenny post.
Rowland Hill was a teacher and inventor. He was unhappy with the postal service. He suggested new ideas that changed mail delivery forever. His ideas were first rejected, but he worked hard to make them happen. He realized that many small payments could fund the service. So, he changed it from the receiver paying to the sender paying. This idea was copied by postal services worldwide.
Bigger changes came with the Uniform Penny Post on 10 January 1840. This meant you could send a letter anywhere in Great Britain and Ireland for one low price. The sender paid this price beforehand. A few months later, the first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was introduced. It showed that postage was paid.
Britain was the first country to use prepaid stamps. That's why British stamps are the only ones without the country's name on them. By the late 1800s, London had many mail deliveries each day. People could send and receive several letters in one day.
In 1863, the first trial of sending mail by underground rail happened. The Post Office started its telegraph service in 1870.
The Iconic Pillar Boxes
The first Post Office pillar box was put up in 1852 in Jersey. Pillar boxes came to mainland Britain the next year. British pillar boxes usually have the Latin initials of the king or queen who was ruling when they were installed. For example, 'VR' means Victoria Regina (Queen Victoria).
A national telephone service was opened by the Post Office in 1912. In 1919, the first international airmail service began. The London Post Office Railway opened in 1927. In 1941, an airgraph service started between the UK and Egypt. This service later expanded to many other countries.
Becoming a Public Company
In 1969, the General Post Office became a statutory corporation. It was simply called the Post Office. The old job of Postmaster General was removed. New roles like chairman and chief executive were created.
The two-class postal system started in 1968. This offered first-class and second-class services. In 1971, postal services in Great Britain stopped for two months. This was due to a national postal strike. Postcodes were used across Great Britain and Northern Ireland between 1959 and 1974.
In 1980, British Telecom became separate from the Post Office. In 1990, Royal Mail Parcels changed its name to Parcelforce. The rest of the business stayed owned by the public.
The Post Office had its main office in St. Martin's Le Grand in London until 1984. It then moved to other locations.
Modern Changes and Challenges
After a new government in 1997, the Labour government decided to keep the Post Office state-owned. But they gave it more business freedom. This led to the Postal Services Act 2000. The company became a public limited company. In 2001, it was renamed Consignia. This name was very unpopular. So, in 2002, the company was renamed Royal Mail Group plc.
In 2004, the second daily delivery was stopped. This was to save money and work better. In 2005, Royal Mail started using trains again for bulk mail.
On 1 January 2006, Royal Mail lost its 350-year-old monopoly. The British postal market became fully open to other companies. Competitors could collect and sort mail. Then they would give it to Royal Mail for delivery. This is called downstream access. Royal Mail also started charging based on the size and weight of items. They also launched an online postage service.
In 2007, Royal Mail Group plc became Royal Mail Group Ltd. Royal Mail also stopped Sunday collections from pillar boxes that year.
In 2008, mail volumes kept falling. The government asked Richard Hooper to review the postal services. His ideas led to a plan to sell a small part of the company. But this plan was stopped by politicians.
In 2010, Moya Greene became the chief executive. She was the first woman to hold this job.
Royal Mail Becomes Private
After the 2010 election, the government passed the Postal Services Act 2011. This law allowed up to 90% of Royal Mail to be sold to private investors. At least 10% of shares were to be given to Royal Mail employees.
As part of this law, the government took over Royal Mail's old pension debt in 2012. Also, Post Office Limited became separate from Royal Mail Group. They signed a 10-year agreement. This allowed Post Offices to keep selling stamps and handling mail for Royal Mail.
In July 2013, it was announced that Royal Mail would be sold on the London Stock Exchange. Postal staff would get free shares. The government said this sale would help Royal Mail's future. They pointed out that private postal services in Europe were doing well.
Royal Mail's chief executive, Moya Greene, supported the sale. She said it would give staff a "meaningful stake" in the company. The public could also "invest in a great British institution."
Applications for shares opened on 27 September 2013. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange on 15 October 2013. The government planned to keep between 37.8% and 49.9% of the company. Many people wanted to buy shares.
The initial price for shares was 330p. On 11 October 2013, shares started trading. After the sale, 52.2% of Royal Mail was sold to investors. Employees received 10% for free. The government ended up with a 30% stake. They raised £1.98 billion from the sale.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced a strike in response to the sale. But they later called off the strike. They reached an agreement with Royal Mail's management.
After Privatisation
On the first day of trading, share prices went up by 38%. Some people said the company was sold for too little money. Six months later, the price was 58% higher than the sale price. It even went up to 87% higher.
In 2014, the London Assembly voted to bring Royal Mail back under government control.
On 4 June 2015, the government announced it would sell its remaining 30% stake. They sold 15% to investors in June 2015. This raised £750 million. Another 1% went to employees. The government sold its last shares on 12 October 2015. They raised £591 million from this sale. In total, the government raised £3.3 billion from selling Royal Mail.
As of 2019, Royal Mail shares were trading below their original price. In 2022, the company was moved from the FTSE 100 to the FTSE 250 Index. This means it is now considered a smaller company in the stock market.
In July 2022, the company announced a name change. The main company that owns Royal Mail and GLS Group would be called International Distributions Services. This change was completed in October 2022.
Royal Mail Services
Universal Service for All
Royal Mail has a legal duty to provide a universal service. This means that letters and parcels of a certain size can be sent anywhere in the UK for a set price. The price does not change based on distance. The Postal Services Act 2011 ensures Royal Mail will keep offering this service until at least 2021.
Special Delivery Options
Royal Mail Special Delivery is a faster mail service. It promises delivery by 1 p.m. or 9 a.m. the next day. This service costs more. If the item doesn't arrive on time, you can get your money back. It also includes insurance for your goods.
Services for Businesses
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Royal Mail offers services for businesses. Many businesses use "PPI" or "franked" mail. With PPI, the sender prints their own "stamp." For franked mail, a special machine is used.
Businesses can get lower prices for large mailings. This happens if they use special technology called Mailmark. It involves printing a barcode or formatting the address in a specific way. This helps Royal Mail's machines read the addresses easily.
Items Not Allowed in the Mail
Royal Mail has rules about what items it will not carry. These are things that could be dangerous for staff or vehicles. There is also a list of "restricted" items. These can be sent only if certain conditions are met. Items not allowed include flammable liquids, gases, and human or animal remains.
In 2005, Royal Mail tried to ban carrying sporting firearms. But the postal regulator said no. They said Royal Mail didn't show enough proof that firearms caused problems. In 2012, Royal Mail tried again to ban all firearms. But after many people complained, they dropped the idea.
Leaflet Delivery Service
Royal Mail also offers a "Door to door" service. This delivers leaflets, brochures, and other printed materials. These are delivered by the mail carrier during their daily rounds. Companies like Virgin Media and Domino's Pizza use this service. In 2005, they delivered 3.3 billion items.
If you don't want to receive these leaflets, you can opt out. Royal Mail has its own list for this.
Royal Mail Staff
As of 2019, Royal Mail had about 162,000 permanent postal workers. About 143,000 of these were in the UK. Around 90,000 were postmen and women. During November and December, an extra 18,000 temporary workers were hired for Christmas.
Royal Mail has had some disagreements with its workers. There was a seven-week strike in 1971 over pay. Another strike happened in 1988. In 2007, there were disputes over modernizing the service.
In 2009, workers voted for national strike action. This was due to disagreements over jobs, pay, and working conditions. There were several strikes that year.
There were also several strikes in 2022. These ended in July 2023. Workers agreed to a three-year pay deal. This included a 10% salary increase and a one-time payment of £500.
Penny Post Credit Union
Penny Post Credit Union Limited is a savings and loans group. It was started in 1996 with the CWU. It helps Royal Mail employees save money and get loans. It is regulated by financial authorities. This means members' savings are protected.
Royal Mail Leaders
- Chairman: Keith Williams (since January 2018)
- Chief Executive: Simon Thompson (since January 2021)
- Chief Executive: Emma Gilthorpe (from May 2024)
Past Chairmen
The chairman's role started in 1969. Before that, the Postmaster General did these duties.
- William Hall, 2nd Viscount Hall (1969–1970)
- Sir William Ryland (1971–1977)
- Sir William Barlow (1977–1980)
- Sir Ron Dearing (1980–1987)
- Sir Bryan Nicholson (1987–1992)
- Sir Michael Heron (1993–1998)
- Neville Bain (1998–2002)
- Allan Leighton (2002–2008)
- Donald Brydon (2009–2015)
- Peter Long (2015–2018)
- Les Owen (2018–2019)
Past Chief Executives
The chief executive role also started in 1969. Before that, the Postmaster General did these duties.
- Sir William Ryland (1969–1977)
- Sir William Barlow (1977–1980)
- Sir Ron Dearing (1980–1987)
- Sir Bryan Nicholson (1987–1992)
- Bill Cockburn (1992–1995)
- John Roberts (1995–2003)
- Adam Crozier (2003–2010)
- Moya Greene (2010–2018)
- Rico Back (2018–2020)
How Royal Mail is Regulated
Ofcom regulates Royal Mail. This means Ofcom makes sure Royal Mail follows the rules. Consumer interests are looked after by the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Royal Mail aims to deliver 93% of First Class post the next working day. They also aim to deliver 98.5% of Second Class post within three working days.
In 2006, Royal Mail was fined £11.7 million. This was because too much mail was lost, stolen, or damaged. In 2011, about 120,000 letters were lost in three months.
In 2012, Ofcom approved a new plan. Royal Mail could leave larger items with neighbours if you weren't home. You can opt out of this by putting a sticker near your letterbox.
In 2018, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £50 million. This was for breaking competition law in 2014. They found that Royal Mail had used its strong position unfairly.
How Royal Mail Works
Mail Centres: The Hubs of Mail Sorting
Royal Mail has 37 mail centres across the UK (as of 2019). These centres are the main parts of the mail delivery system. Mail is collected and brought to one of these centres. Then, mail is sent between centres. Finally, it goes to one of 1,356 delivery offices. From there, it's delivered to your door.
Mail from other companies also comes to these mail centres. Royal Mail then delivers it.
Mail is sorted in two main steps. 'Outward' sorting finds mail for the local area. 'Inward' sorting handles mail from other centres.
Automated Mail Sorting
Royal Mail uses a system called Integrated Mail Processing (IMP). This system sorts mail in large amounts. It uses machines to read postcodes. These machines scan envelopes and turn addresses into a code. Letters get a special barcode that represents the address. This helps sort mail very quickly.
Royal Mail has 66 intelligent letter sorting machines (ILSMs). These were installed in the 1980s and 1990s. They can process over 36,000 items per hour.
International Mail Sorting
Royal Mail has a special centre for international mail. It's called the Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre. It's near Heathrow Airport. This centre handles all international airmail coming into and leaving the UK. It also handles some mail transported by road and containers.
List of Mail Centres
As of March 2021, here are some of the 37 mail centres:
- East: Chelmsford, Norwich, Nottingham, Peterborough, Romford, Sheffield, South Midlands (Northampton)
- West: Birmingham, Chester, Manchester, North West Midlands (Wolverhampton), Preston, Warrington
- South East: Croydon, Gatwick (Crawley), Greenford, Home Counties North (Hemel Hempstead), Jubilee (Hounslow), Medway (Rochester), London Central (Mount Pleasant)
- South West: Bristol, Cardiff, Dorset (Poole), Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon, Truro
- North: Aberdeen, Inverness, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Northern Ireland (Newtownabbey), Tyneside/Newcastle (Gateshead)
Mail centres in the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey also work with Royal Mail's network.
Mail Centre Closures
The number of mail centres has been decreasing. In 2008, there were 69 mail centres. By 2010, there were 64. Many have been closed and replaced by larger, more modern centres. For example, the South Midlands Mail Centre in Northampton is the largest in the UK.
Regional Distribution Centres
As of 2020, there are seven Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs). These centres handle large, pre-sorted mailings from businesses.
- Scottish Distribution Centre (Wishaw)
- Princess Royal Distribution Centre (London)
- National Distribution Centre (Northampton)
- South West Distribution Centre (Bristol)
- North West Distribution Centre (Warrington)
- Yorkshire Distribution Centre (Normanton)
- Northern Ireland Distribution Centre (Newtownabbey)
Royal Mail's Fleet
Royal Mail is known for its special bicycles. These have a rack and basket built into the frame. They have been made by Pashley Cycles since 1971. Since 2000, old delivery bicycles have been sent to Africa by a charity.
Besides many road vehicles, Royal Mail uses trains, a ship, and some aircraft. They have an air hub at East Midlands Airport. Special night mail flights are operated by Titan Airways.
In 2021, Royal Mail announced plans to test using a drone. This drone would fly between the UK mainland and the Isles of Scilly. It can carry 100 kg of mail. This is the same weight as a typical delivery round. It can fly in bad weather and out of sight of the operator. Royal Mail delivered its first parcel by drone in December 2020. This was to a remote lighthouse in Scotland.
The RMS St. Helena was a cargo and passenger ship. It served the island of Saint Helena. It was one of only two Royal Mail Ships in service.
Royal Mail also used to operate the London Post Office Railway. This was a network of driverless trains. They ran on an underground track from 1927 until 2003.
Images for kids
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A historic Royal Mail vehicle.
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Axminster Post office, Axminter, Devon June 2011 - Flickr - sludgegulper.jpg
A Royal Mail van outside a post office.
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A mail train used by Royal Mail.
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A Royal Mail van in London.
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A train carrying mail in 1986.
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Postal Services in Other Territories
British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have their own postal systems. These are independent operators. However, the three Crown Dependencies use British postcodes. The same prices are charged for delivery across their areas. But delivery times can be different. Mail from the UK to the Channel Islands must go through customs.
See also
In Spanish: Royal Mail para niños
- Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain
- Royal Mail rubber band
- London Penny Post
- Barbados Postal Service
- Hongkong Post
- Canada Post
- Australia Post
- New Zealand Post
- Pakistan Post
- Caribbean Postal Union
