The Mail Rail

Tom and I were invited on a press visit of The Mail Rail today which doesn't open until September.

Hidden below the streets of London, The Mail Rail will wind you through forgotten tunnels as you learn about the long lost Post Office railway.

The adventure starts as you make your way to an abandoned station below Royal Mail’s sorting office at Mount Pleasant.

In the Mail Rail Exhibition you will learn about the history of the Mail Rail and how it was resurrection.

The old Car Depot retains so many of it's original features, giving a real sense of what it would have been like to work there.

Hands on exhibits allow you to control the stations Switch Frame and explore the station in 3D before it's redevelopment.

You can even try your hand at sorting mail in full uniform on the Travelling Post Office as it shudders back and forward.

Like a time capsule, a number of original lockers were recovered filled with items that the employees had left.

The highlight of the visit is a 20 minute ride in a custom built miniature train through the old tunnels.

The train stops in old station where films, old photographs and stories about the Mail Rail are projected onto the tunnel walls.

Keep an eye out for the train graveyard filled with old and abandoned stock.

Across the road in The Postal Museum, you can learn about the history of The Royal Mail.

Here you'll learn about the creation of the stamp and see the only existing whole sheets of Penny Black stamp.

A treasure trove of memorabilia, see stamps, postcards and writing kits from throughout the years.

See how the uniform has adapted with changing fashions and try on a few historical designs for yourself.

One of the most impressive exhibits is the original plaster cast of The Queen's head which appears on the stamp.

There's also a cast for a stamp of King Edward VIII created prior to his abdication, making it the only image of him in a crown.

There's so much more to The Postal Museum than dusty stamp albums, so book your visit today and hop aboard the Mail Rail!

We headed down to The O2 afterwards and had a quick cocktail at Las Iguanas where it was Happy Hour.

It was then time for our second press visit of the day, this time to the Star Wars Identities exhibition.

If you're a fan of Star Wars then there's no better way to get to know the characters than the Star Wars Identities exhibition at the O2.

Much more than an exhibition, each visitor is given an electronic wristband used to answer questions as you make your way around the exhibition to create a Star Wars identity.

There is so much to see with 200 costumes, props and models from the films, including some than have never been on exhibit before.

Featuring treasures from both the new and original films, this is your chance to see iconic pieces including Han Solo cast in carbonite, the Millennium Falcon and the eyes of Jabba the Hutt.

Seeing the original costumes and getting to stand side by side with the iconic characters from the film was definitely the highlight.

See the gorgeous details that go into Queen Padmé's ornate dresses.

At the end of the exhibition you come face to face with Darth Vader where you're asked whether you want to join the Jedi or the dark side, deciding the fate of your character.

You're then presented with your character based on the answers you selected throughout your tour.

We met up with Jenny & Rin for drinks after work at Bar Swift in Soho.

It was Jenny's birthday so we had the chance to give her presents and buy her cocktails.

I tried the Praline Flip with spiced rum, Guinness, hazelnut orgeat and egg. I wasn't sure about the Guinness but it tasted delicious.

I then had the Bazaar with Olmeca Altos blanco, saffron, mandarin sherbet, Suze and tonic.

We then went for dinner next door at Bone Daddies.

We shared a big selection of plates including salmon, anchovies and fries.

The miso mushrooms were my favourite dish by far and I'm going to hunt for some miso to try and recreate them.