Destinations
'Herne Bay on the Kent Coast', BR (SR) poster, 1952.
Poster produced for British Railways (Southern Region) to promote Herne Bay as a holiday destination. Illustrated with young girl in swimsuit jumping. Artwork by Alan Durman. Printed by Leonard Ripley & Co Ltd, London.
'Loch Lomond', LNER and LMS poster, c 1940s.
London Midland & Scottish and London & North Eastern Railway poster promoting Scotland for holidays. Artwork by Patrick MacIntosh.
'Cruden Bay', LNER poster, c 1930.
Poster produced for London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) to promote rail travel to Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire. The poster shows a woman playing golf while the caddy, dresed in a kilt, looks on. The text at the bottom promotes LNER's holiday handbook which contains maps, details of accommodation, etc. Artwork by Tom Purvis (1888-1957), who rallied for the profesionalisation of commercial art. In 1930 he was one of the group of artists who founded the Society of Industrial Artists, which campaigned for improved standards of training for commercial artists in order to broaden their scope of employment. He became one of the first Royal Designers for Industry in 1936. Dimensions: 1016 mm x 1270 mm.
'The Pleasure Route to Southport', Cheshire Lines Railway poster, 1935.
Poster produced for the Cheshire Lines Railway to promote rail travel to Stockport, Merseyside. The poster shows a holiday express train with Southport beach and a funfair in the background. Artwork by Shaffer.
'South for Winter Sunshine', SR poster, 1932.
Poster produced for the Southern Railway (SR) to publicise the south of England as a winter holiday destination, showing a silhouetted man carrying a ticket and umbrella, stepping from rain into sunshine. Artwork by Edmond Vaughan. Printed by the Baynard Pres. Dimensions: 1013mm x 631mm.
'Special Price Holiday Travel', BR (ER) poster, 1970.
Poster produced for British Rail (BR) Eastern Region (ER), promoting special fares for holiday travel, showing a family, dresed for the beach, eating ice creams. Printed by Lonsdale & Bartholomew Ltd. Dimensions: 1010mm x 635mm.
'The Western Highlands', LNER poster, 1923-1947.
Poster produced for the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) promoting the 'The Holiday Handbook' and illustrating a bridge over a rocky river. Artwork by John Mace.
'Speed to the West', GWR poster, 1939.
Poster produced for the Great Western Railway (GWR) to promote the company's speedy services to the West of England. The poster shows a 'King' class locomotive on a holiday train for the West Country. GWR published a book on the 'King' class, observing that 'Somewhere in the breast of every normal homo sapien there stretches a chord which vibrates only to the sight of a fine locomotive. Even now, with airplanes and motors to bid against it in its own field of romantic interest, the steam locomotive retains its fascination.' Artwork by Charles Mayo, who worked in the GWR publicity department and produced artwork for posters, booklets and other publicity material.
'Scotland - East Coast Route', LNER poster, 1926.
London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) poster advertising illustrated travel booklets for holidays in Scotland. Artwork by Frank Newbould.
North of Ireland for Holidays', LMS (NCC), BCDR and GNR poster, 1950.
North of Ireland for Holidays', LMS (NCC), BCDR and GNR poster, 1950. Poster produced for the London Midland & Scottish (Northern Counties Commission), Belfast & County Down and Great Northern Railway, promoting Northern Ireland as a holiday destination. Image shows a pictorial map, indicating main train lines and tourist attractions, with a stylised train travelling at speed below. Printed by Jordison & Co Ltd, London.
'Penzance', GWR poster, 1923-1947.
Poster produced for the Great Western Railway (GWR) to promote rail travel to the Cornish resort and port of Penzance, 'the ideal holiday centre'. The poster shows a view of the harbour with fishing boats in the foreground, and the bay, town and surrounding countryside in the background. The poster mentions the resort's pleasant climate, and the good fishing, hunting, golf and tennis that can be enjoyed there. Artwork by S C Rowles. Dimensions: 1016 x 629mm.
'British Railways Holidays Guides', BR (SR) poster, 1948.
Poster produced for British Railways (Southern Region) to advertise their range of holiday guidebooks for Britain. Printed by McCorquodale & Co Ltd, London.
'Tintern Abbey', GWR poster, 1930.
Poster produced for the Great Western Railway (GWR) to promote the railway's 'Land Cruises' to the American market. These were similar to today's package holidays, and the Wye Valley was one of the first destinations to be offered. Two hundred of these posters were printed and sent for display in the USA. Artwork by Frieda Lingstrom, who studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts and Heatherleys and was commisioned by the Norwegian and Swedish governments to do Scandinavian drawings for English travel propaganda. She designed posters and booklet covers for LNER and was known for her landscape paintings. Dimensions: 1016 mm x 635 mm.
'Bridlington', NER poster, c 1910.
Poster produced by North Eastern Railway (NER) to promote the range of tickets offered to the coastal holiday destination of Bridlington, North Yorkshire. The poster shows a beach scene with a child in foreground holding a shell to her ear. Artwork by an unknown artist.
'Ventnor', SR poster, c 1920s.
'Ventnor - Ideal Climate, Unrivalled Comfort, Greatest Variety of Pleasures for All'. Poster produced for Southern Railway (SR) to promote rail and boat travel to the coastal resort of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, which is here promoted as an ideal holiday destination. The poster shows a panoramic view of the seafront, promenade and gardens, surrounded by a black border with illustrations of people engaged in the various past times that can be enjoyed there, such as golf, tennis and sailing. Artwork by an unknown artist. Dimensions: 1015 mm x 635 mm.
'Largs', BR poster, c 1950s.
Poster produced for British Railways (BR) to promote the coastal resort of Largs, Ayrshire as a healthy holiday destination. Illustrated with view of the town. Artwork by Montague B Black. The artist was born in Stockwell, South London, and concentrated mainly on military and naval subjects. Montague Black also designed posters for various railway companies. Printed by London Lithographic & Co, London.
'Scarborough', LNER poster, 1923-1947.
Poster produced for the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), showing holiday-makers on the promenade and beach at Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The old North Sea fishing port and spa town of Scarborough, which included the remains of a 12th century castle, and a Roman signal station on Castle Cliff between North Bay and South Bay, was built on a steep cliff side and became a popular seaside holiday resort. Artwork by Arthur C Michael.
