• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • FAQ
  • Meet the Team
  • About The London Economic
  • Advertise
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
NEWSLETTER
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Travel

Railway posters from 1900s give fascinating glimpse of Edwardian train travel

Pristine posters which were never used include warning passengers about fog on the line and adverts encouraging men to sign up to the military

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
June 27, 2018
in Travel

A rare collection of century-old railway posters which give a fascinating glimpse of life for Edwardian train passengers are expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

The mint-condition ads, which were never used, were discovered on the roof of a derelict train station.

They reveal posters warning passengers about delays to their journeys caused by fog as well as ones promoting seaside holidays to “gorgeous” Blackpool and spa towns including Cheltenham and Bath.

Also uncovered are Cunard and Canadian Pacific Railway Ocean Liner travel advertisements urging people to catch a train to the coast to join a steamer.

Dating back to 1910-1920, the posters were produced in and around the First World War, which lasted from 1914-18. Consequently, they include First World War recruitment posters.

RelatedPosts

HS2 won’t be ‘rich man’s railway’ but fares and if they will have first class compartments not decided

Two-thirds of UK adults support idea of vaccination passports despite legal and ethical concerns

UK company Ski Yodl launches £750,000 fundraiser to finance expansion plans during pandemic

Unless humans can teleport then HS2 is critical, claims Grant Shapps

Other more serious posters show adverts encouraging men to join the Navy with the slogan: “Remember! England Expects – The need is great today.”

The message goes on: “Are you between 15-and-a-half and 40. If so the Navy requires you for its glorious service.

“Join today. Skilled artificers and artisans, seaman, stokers, marines and boys.”

On Midland Railway poster displays a gentle politeness, perhaps now lost: ‘Owing to the FOG the train service today is slightly altered – Full information at the Station Master’s office.”

The stash of unused posters were found by a man from Nottingham during a night out in 1964. They are now being sold by Hansons Auctioneers.

Auctioneer and valuer Jim Spencer, said: “These posters are incredible.

“They sweep you back to a different time and place, not just in their design but in their use of language and what they were advertising.

“The fact that they were never used on advertising hoardings is surprising. They are in pristine condition.

“That, together with their rarity and historical value, is sure to make them sought after by collectors.

“Obviously, I love the vibrant ocean liner posters, but one of my favourites is the fog warning poster; through words alone it conjures up a vision of an Edwardian railway station, a November morning with figures in top hats appearing out of the mist.”

The posters were discovered by chance on a night out more than half a century ago by Chris Hind, 75, a retired businessman from Nottingham.

He said: “I found the posters in the loft at Edwalton Station, which opened in 1879.

“Edwalton is a tiny village on the outskirts of Nottingham. I rescued the posters just before the station was demolished to make way for housing in 1965.

“One night in 1964 I was having a meal with friends at what was the Edwalton Hall Hotel when we went for a walk in the gardens.

“These were the day when pubs locked up at 10.30pm and, when we got back to the hotel at 10.45pm, we found ourselves locked out.

“So, we went to the bottom of the gardens, jumped on to the railway line and walked to the old station to enable us to get back on to the road.

“I was a 22-year-old Cambridge undergraduate at the time. We had all the confidence of youth, but not necessarily a keen sense of danger.

“When we reached the station, we walked through the old ticket office and I saw some paper that had fallen through a hole in the ceiling.

“I realised they were station records so went back the next day, made a makeshift ladder and climbed into the loft.

“It was there that I found around 40 posters. They had been sent to the station to be displayed but had never been unfolded.

“I wrote to British Rail to ask permission to see if there were any old station records in the loft.

“They wrote back and said there would be no point as there was nothing there.

“But they didn’t say no. So, I went back and rescued the posters. Six month later the station was flattened.”

The posters, which are expected to fetch thousands of pounds, will be sold on July 2.

World’s first transatlantic drone flight hails new era for aviation

Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending fromTLE

  • All
  • trending

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

Stress, fear and homelessness: The threat looming over families confronted with eviction

File photo dated 07/11/03 of a prison cell.

The Other Prison Pandemic

Latest from TLE

Furlough: Sunak’s wealthy wife claimed up to £100,000 of taxpayer’s money

Sainsbury’s hand out bonus and pay rise to staff for pandemic work

Best reactions as usual mouthpieces are foaming over a genderless Potato Head

Prince Harry: ‘We all know what the British press can be like. And it was destroying my mental health’

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: jack@thelondoneconomic.com

Commercial enquiries, please contact: advertise@thelondoneconomic.com

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech & Auto
  • About The London Economic
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy policy

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.