Exhibition of historical landscape railway posters in Portishead

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the Bristol Evening Post:

A rare opportunity to see Great Britain as once viewed by local explorers.

For the first time families were given the opportunity to travel and explore faraway places, or that's how it seemed at the time, thanks to the train. Train companies were quick to recognise the growing market in tourism and in doing so promoted holiday destinations in Britain that could be visited by train.

They did this by commissioning artists to paint picturesque scenes of the countryside, seaside resorts and other places of interest. These were then made into posters and bill boarded up and down the country to encourage travel by train.

Until recently many of these posters were discarded or destroyed as new forms of travel became available and marketing companies found more creative ways to sell travel.

That was until the likes of Richard Furness saw the value of these historic posters and began to list and categorise the posters in existence. Richard, an author and keen enthusiast of steam train travel, is writing a series of books, Poster To Poster, covering the length and breadth of Britain.

In order to bring these wonderful posters to a larger audience Pure Offices at Kestrel Court in Portishead is holding an exhibition of railway art in partnership with Dr Richard Furness of JDF & Associates Ltd.

The exhibition will showcase great British railway posters from by-gone eras, evoking the passion and romance of the railways from a truly unique and very British heritage, posters that have been gathered and rescued, saved and restored. This exhibition which is free will appeal to those who enjoy art, art history and  the varied British landscape as well as those who appreciate railways and railway posters.

The Exhibition is open to the public 10am ^ 4pm Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th  March at Pure Offices, Kestrel Court, Harbour Road, Portishead.

There is expected to be over 70 posters on show Richard will also be on hand to sign copies of his latest book in the Poster to Poster series, volume 4: Eastern Counties of England.

[Chris from Nailsea]

... destinations in Britain that could be visited by train.

... such as Portishead, somewhat ironically. 

[JayMac]

In Cardiff Central's 1st Class Lounge there is a selection of prints of historic railway posters. Took these photos whilst in there last November, enjoying a cuppa before boarding the WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) Express:

[chuffed]

HIGHLY recommended! Very emotive and nostalgic. See PRAG website for more details

IN Kestrel Court Portishead 10am till 4pm Fri and Sat 23rd March.

[JayMac]

Think I may pop along tomorrow.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm planning on being there tomorrow, too. It sounds like a great display.

[Mookiemoo]

I might go tomorrow (saturday) - well I do live there so it would be rude not to!

[JayMac]

Popped along today. The irony of having to travel by road to an exhibition of railway posters was not lost on me!

Still, I had a friendly taxi driver from CfN Taxis Ltd (thanks Chris  ), who picked me up from Nailsea & Backwell station, gave me a brief tour of the local area, including a stop at a delightful country pub where he even bought me a pint to go with my excellent Ploughman's. Fantastic weather - good enough to sit in the beer garden to sup, eat and chat. Pesky wasp was annoying though.

On to the exhibition, which is well worth a visit if you are in the area tomorrow, 24th March 2012 (last chance). A cracking selection of posters, a flavour of which I've included in the link below. Just quick snaps - go see the real things if you can. Apologies for the reflections; glass frames and sunny weather aren't a good combination for taking pictures.

http://photobucket.com/railwayposterexhibition

My favourite? The 'Exmouth' one. 

And yes, the ghostly apparitions of two of this forum's Admin/Mod team can be seen in one or two snaps. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for your kind comments, bignosemac. 

And yes: the ghostly apparition in your picture 16 is rather scary ... 

I'd only add that the hosts of this exhibition are both very friendly and knowledgeable about the posters - it is their private collection, after all - and they welcome visitors and encourage photography.

It was indeed an illuminating afternoon - well worth a visit.

Chris.