Nearly 200,000 people have visited London's Postal Museum since the £26m (US$33.6m, €28.9m) attraction's official launch one year ago.

Created to chronicle five centuries of social and communication history across Britain, the Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios-designed museum has been recognised as one of Britain's best, being named a finalist in both the Art Fund's Museum of the Year Award and for the National Lottery's heritage awards.

Located at London's largest sorting office, the Postal Museum welcomed 198,275 visitors in its debut year, with its full launch taking place on 4 September 2017.

The Mail Rail – a century-old mail delivery line located underground in the old engineering depot of the building – ran 9,000 times in its first year. The miniature train, originally designed to quickly transport mail underneath London, was converted to transport passengers through the line's historic tunnels.

“It’s been a momentous first year for us," said Laura Wright, CEO at The Postal Museum.

"Since opening, we've worked tirelessly to find new and engaging ways to deliver the incredible history of human connection – through the eyes of the British postal service.

“The visitors, supporters and staff have made all of this possible, as well as our dedicated team of volunteers who donated 4,500 hours of their time to make The Postal Museum the huge success it is today."

The museum's development was financed through the Heritage Lottery Fund, Royal Mail and Post Office, in addition to support from a number of individual private donors and organisations. Haley Sharpe Design (HSD) handled exhibition design for the museum, which is set across five interactive zones telling the story of the people who worked for – and whose lives were changed – by the postal service.