The Mailbox

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The Mailbox viewed from the front

Luxury restaurants at the canal side of The Mailbox

A view of the BBC Birmingham Offices from the outside of the Mailbox.

The Mailbox is an upmarket development of offices, exclusive designer shops, restaurants, bars and luxury city-centre apartments in Birmingham, England. There is also a mini supermarket. The Mailbox spans several floors, is very long, and at the back is the Birmingham and Worcester Canal. Amazingly, there are less than 100 shoppers browsing around The Mailbox at any given time.

The building was formerly the Royal Mail's main sorting office for Birmingham (hence its new name), but the redevelopment involved demolition of all but the steel sub-structure. The development cost £150 million overall.

A public square the size of Chamberlain Square was created to the front of the Mailbox. It was paved with natural stone and as well as being a social area, it also allowed the easy movement of visitors to and from the building.

In 2004 BBC Birmingham moved into a new complex of studios at the Mailbox which replaces the Pebble Mill site. The general public is able to watch radio and television broadcasts being made at an all-access public foyer, as well as surf the BBC website and buy BBC merchandise. On 31 October 2005, eighty-one year-old actress Mary Wimbush died at The Mailbox studios shortly after a recording session for The Archers.

The Mailbox also has a hotel and spa. At the back of The Mailbox it is possible to walk over a bridge and walk along the canals near Gas Street Basin. The complex is currently erecting a new state-of-the-art mix-use building called the Cube. This accompanying structure is to be the final phase in the completion of the Mailbox. The Cube will house a rooftop restaurant, boutique hotel and residential apartments.