Art Fund Museum of the Year Announced: Tate St Ives
Once a year, the Art Fund awards the prestigious Museum of the Year prize of £100,000 to one outstanding museum, which has shown exceptional imagination, innovation and achievement in the preceding year.
In an awards ceremony at the V&A, Tate St Ives has been crowned this year's winner. Speaking on behalf of the jury, Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said: 'Each of our five finalists has tapped into very current concerns. Each one expands the very idea of what a museum can be'.
Following the announcement, we reveal just what makes Tate St Ives and the four finalists so special. We tell you why they are worth the trek from London.
In a couple of years, the Postal Museum has gone from a simple archive to a national museum looking at the impact of letters, mail correspondence and post on our society. The Postal Museum was praised for spotlighting the story of our first social network; now, an almost alien concept to Instagram-obsessed millennials.
Why should you go: To try the subterranean mail train, known as Mail Rail, which has recently re-opened following its closure in 2003. Hop on a train and take a tour of the labyrinthine tunnels and passageways that were used to transport mail from sorting office to sorting office.
Added Bonus: The museum’s quirky collections, which span five centuries, include the Royal Mail Archive, postal uniforms, pillar boxes, postal vehicles, and a huge collection of rare stamps.
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