Bath-Knight Blog

Royal Mail A-Z postal portrait of Britain

The Royal Mail has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after they announced an increase in the price of both first and second class stamps. From 30^th April 2012 the price of stamps will shoot up by 14p making first class stamps 60p and second class 50p. 

The price increase has caused great anger amongst the public who argue that the new prices are too expensive and I would have to agree. It seems barbaric that sending a first class letter will cost 60p and I have to wonder if people will boycott the tradition of sending letters in favour of free, digital methods such as e-mail and instant messaging.

However the charm of sending letters and purchasing stamps seems to have been reignited with the Royal Mail’s latest stamp collection an “A-Z postal portrait of Britain”.

Each of the 26 stamps has been assigned a letter and an according tourist location which has been enjoyed greatly by visitors from home and abroad. The series includes a huge range of attractions from beautiful landscapes such as the Nation Trust’s Carrick- a-Rede, Glastonbury Tor and Narrow Water Castle to wonderfully impressive building like York Minster and Edinburgh Castle and more official establishments like the Old Bailey in London.

For those who enjoy great days out the Portrait of Britain collection includes images of ZSL London Zoo, Jodrell Bank and the Portmeirion in North Wales which all display the variety of great things to do across the country. Finishing off the collection are traditional landmarks including the Angel of the North, Downing Street and Blackpool Tower.

I personally really like the collection as it showcases the huge diversity which is available in the United Kingdom and it ties in nicely with the many great events which will be taking place here in the summer. And as somebody who has many friends and family dotted across the world I know that the stamps will be enjoyed internationally too; I imagine that lots of my friends will go online to research the location on their stamp which is exactly what this collection is all about.

Fingers crossed the pending price increase on postal stamps won’t stop people purchasing and enjoying the A-Z postal portrait of Britain collection. See more information on the price of stamps on the Royal Mail website here.