SOME of Yorkshire’s most popular tourist destinations are taking centre stage in a new exhibition of 40 vintage railway posters celebrating some of the most iconic stops on the London & North Eastern Railway line.
York, Scarborough, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay and Richmond all feature in From Edinburgh to London & Beyond – Railway Posters from the Golden Age of Travel, now showing at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens in Durham.
All the posters are sourced from private collections. These vibrant art-deco and modernist posters date from the 1920s to the 1950s. They hung on gas-lit railway platforms in Britain’s mill, mining and manufacturing towns, turning train stations into inspirational art displays and tempting people to take a holiday or day-trip by train.
Andrew Heard, exhibition curator and visitor programmes manager at Ushaw, said: “We are thrilled to display a series of beautiful Yorkshire railway posters from the ‘Golden Age of Travel.’
"These art works invite you to go on an imaginative journey along the Yorkshire Coast, through the cobbled streets of Shambles before stopping to admire the magnificence of York Minster, the focal point of a trio of works promoting visits and day trips to York.”
Lovers of Yorkshire’s coast will also enjoy two rare posters of Scarborough and Robin Hood’s Bay, part of a unique set of six; which when connected form a perfect panorama of the East Yorkshire coastline.
Passenger rail travel opened up the possibility of long distance travel, adventure and excitement for the British public and railway posters were early examples of aspirational travel marketing.
Britain’s rail companies hired some of Britain’s finest artists to produce beautiful images of holiday and leisure destinations in order to capitalise on a new-found wanderlust among the working and middle classes.
Among the artists hired was Claude Buckle - one of the most famous railway poster artists of the period. His son, Terry, is a volunteer gardener at Ushaw and a chance mention of his father's artworks led to the inspiration behind the entire exhibition.
The exhibition transports visitors back in time and follows the journey from Edinburgh to London along the LNER line and its adjoining branch lines.
It features posters from Yorkshire, Teesside, Durham, Newcastle, Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, as well as branch line stops in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
“In the true spirit of this exhibition, Durham is only a short train ride north on the LNER line from Yorkshire and it’s a perfect opportunity to combine it with a day spent discovering Ushaw’s Historic House, Chapels, Parks and Gardens,” added Andrew.
Ushaw is also hosting rail-inspired activities throughout spring and summer including an outdoor miniature steam locomotive and a large scale installation of a model railway.
From Edinburgh to London & Beyond is open and runs until June 26 in the William Allen Gallery, Ushaw, daily from 11am to 4pm. Exhibition access is included in the price of admission. Ushaw is an arts and heritage venue, located four miles from Durham City centre, with a year-round calendar of cultural events. For more, visit: www.ushaw.org
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