London’s upcoming Postal Museum has confirmed that it will open its doors to the public later this year, with the £26m (US$33.2m, €30.5m) attraction set to launch in July.

Created to chronicle five centuries of social and communication history across Britain, the Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios-designed Postal Museum has been financed through the Heritage Lottery Fund, Royal Mail and Post Office, in addition to support from a number of individual private donors and organisations.

As well as enjoying the museum, visitors will be able to cross the street, where they can descend into the old engineering depot of the one hundred year old Post Office railway – the Mail Rail – boarding a miniature train designed to transport them through the historic tunnels which once delivered mail across the city.

Haley Sharpe Design (HSD) is handling exhibition design for the museum, which will incorporate varied digital interfaces and medias, along with a selection of artefacts and displays across five interactive zones telling the story of the people who worked for – and whose lives were changed – by the postal service.