RailwayBlogger

This is the place for railway enthusiasts who can’t get enough steam, oil and smoke.

  • See My Top Posts
  • Read My Story
  • Contact Me
  • Buy Railway Things

Original Railway Posters Exhibition

An exhibition of 40 vintage railway posters celebrating Britain’s ‘Golden Age of Travel’ opens from 19th March to the 26th June 2022 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, County Durham.

Edinburgh to London & Beyond is a collection of original railway posters from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s.

All sourced from private collections, these vibrant art-deco and modernist posters turned railway platforms into inspirational art displays, tempting people to take a holiday or day-trip by train.

Original Railway Posters on display at Ushaw House
Original Railway Posters on display at Ushaw House

Andrew Heard, exhibition curator and visitor programmes manager at Ushaw, said: “Railway posters from this period were early examples of glamorous and aspirational travel marketing for the masses.

Train travel shrank the country and enabled journeys over previously unrealistic distances to the coast and the countryside. Rail companies promoted these destinations by hiring some of Britain’s finest artists to produce beautiful images of holiday and leisure destinations.”

Redcar Exhibition Railway Poster Ushaw
Redcar (Beach) by Leonard Cusden – Science Museum Group

“We are thrilled to bring together such a significant collection of mid-twentieth century vintage railway posters, here at Ushaw. Visitors will journey from Edinburgh to London and beyond and be transported back in time, stopping at many iconic branch line destinations along the way.”

The collection includes posters from London, Edinburgh, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, York, North Yorkshire, Redcar, Durham, Newcastle, Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.

Vintage London Railway Poster
Durham (Cathedral and River Wear) heritage railway poster
London (Trafalgar Square) – ©Claude Buckle Estate. All rights reserved 2022 and Durham (Cathedral and River Wear) Harry Tittensor 1924

Terry Buckle is a volunteer gardener at Ushaw. A chance mention of his father Claude Henry Buckle – one of Britain’s most prolific designers of railway posters – provided the inspiration for Ushaw to stage the exhibition.

Claude Buckle produced designs for over 100 railway posters in watercolour and oil; three of his original posters feature at Ushaw.

Terry Buckle said: “The posters are based on small sketches and watercolour paintings which were pitched to advertising managers at the railway companies. If they were selected, they were lithographically printed and hung in stations up and down the country.

They capture a moment in time and are a window into Britain’s social history. I’m incredibly proud to see my father’s work displayed for younger generations to enjoy.”

Northumberland Railway Poster Ushaw
Northumberland (Seahouses Boats) – Science Museum Group

Frank Henry Mason

Another well-known artist to feature prominently in the exhibition is Hartlepool born Frank Henry Mason.

Mason was a marine artist hired by LNER to create scores of posters for the mainly coastal stops on the line from London to Scotland. Mason designed his first poster in 1910 for the Great Northern Railway; his last poster design, for the nationalised British Railways, was produced in 1961.

Whiby Abbey railway poster
Whitby Abbey by Frank Henry Mason credit Ushaw Historic House

“We are fortunate to be able to include numerous posters by Frank Henry Mason in the exhibition. Durham is known as the ‘Cradle of the Railways’ because it was here that Locomotion No. 1, the world’s first steam-powered passenger engine operated on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. This exhibition celebrates a bygone era of rail travel but also reflects the North East’s pioneering heritage as the birthplace of passenger rail,” said Heard.

Berwick Upon Tweed Frank Henry Mason railway poster
East Coast Industries railway poster by Frank Henry Mason
Ullswater railway poster
Railway Posters by Frank Henry Mason credit Ushaw Historic House

Ushaw Historic House and Gardents

Ushaw, a historic Georgian house, park and gardens, is also hosting rail-inspired activities throughout the Summer for visitors, including an outdoor miniature steam locomotive and a large scale installation of a model railway.

Edinburgh to London & Beyond opens March 19 and runs through until June 26 in the William Allen Gallery, daily 11am to 4pm. Exhibition access is included in the price of admission.

You can buy prints of railway posters at Amazon in the form of framed prints, birthday cards and more. Click here to find out what’s available.

 

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You might be interested in:

Are you afraid to be a Heritage Railway volunteer?
Memories of Crewe Works
Discover how much luggage can you take on the train
Teenage Whistle Stop Railway Adventure
Great Western Railway History: Then and Now
The Remarkable Survival of Steam Locomotive 80150
Why can’t they add another carriage?
Magnificent Memories of Sidmouth Railway Station
Starting Out At Crewe Works
Hagley Hall Steam Locomotive News
More heritage railway to enjoy in the future
British Rail Eastern Region Rover

Join us on Facebook
just click on the "Like!".

Share
Tweet
Follow me Twitter ! Follow railwayblogger

I love to know what you think so please leave me a messageCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Heritage Railways
  • Steam Locomotives
  • Diesel Locomotives
  • Train trips
  • Today’s Railways
  • Memories
  • Model Railways
  • Books

Join us on social media

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use
  • Disclaimer

© Raleigh Rail Ltd 2023