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Museums compete for prestigious annual UK award

Royal Mail Group/British Postal Museum & Archive Mail RailRoyal Mail Group/British Postal Museum & Archive
The Postal Museum in London features an underground mail railway

A post office museum and a motoring and aviation history centre are among the contenders for the UK's Museum of the Year Award.

London's Postal Museum and the Brooklands Museum in Surrey are on the shortlist for the title organised by the Art Fund charity.

Last year the award and the £100,000 top prize went to the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 5 July.

Other museums in the running include Hull's Ferens Art Gallery, Tate St Ives and the Glasgow Women's Library.

The Ferens Art Gallery played a central part in Hull's City of Culture arts festival in 2017.

Lorne Campbell Ferens galleryLorne Campbell
The Ferens Art Gallery in Hull hosted the Turner Prize in 2017

It saw more than 500,000 visitors over the year following a £5.2m refit. It hosted the Turner Prize and had a range of special exhibitions and events.

Simon Green, from Hull Culture and Leisure, said he was "delighted and honoured" that the gallery had made the shortlist.

"To be in the running to win this accolade highlights the success of 2017, a truly transformational year for the city and gallery," he said.

"It also recognises the hard work of everyone, our fantastic staff and volunteers."

The newly opened Postal Museum, which house the Royal Mail archive, has seen 75,000 people pass through its doors in its first six months of operation.

Visitors can take a ride on the underground mail train which was used to move post around the capital.

Hufton+Crow TateHufton+Crow
Tate St Ives reopened after a £20m refurbishment

The Brooklands Museum in Weybridge is based at the famed motor racing circuit and has a number of historic vehicles and aircraft, including a Concorde.

Tate St Ives, the Cornish offshoot of the national modern art collection has just reopened after a £20m refurbishment that included the build of an extension.

Umbrella stand
Glasgow Women's Library opened in 1991

Opened in 1991 the Glasgow Women's Library is claimed to be the UK's only accredited museum dedicated to women's history.

Stephen Deuchar, Art Fund director, said the five finalists made the shortlist due to their "exceptional originality and innovation"

"Each one expands the very idea of what a museum can be," he said.