Yorkshire railway posters reimagined for 200th anniversary

Young artists have created a series of travel posters in the style of historic railway adverts, inspired by Yorkshire destinations.

Students from Rotherham College, East Riding College, New College Pontefract, and Keighley College have created posters for their local stations, which will be seen by thousands of passengers.

Forty of the young artists from Rotherham unveiled their artworks during a ceremony on Thursday at Rotherham Central station.

Richard Lyon, curriculum team leader at Rotherham College, said working on the posters had been “a valuable and positive experience for our students”.

He said: “Our train journey to the Yorkshire coast enabled students to take great photos to inspire their ideas. It also took their experience beyond the classroom, developing their independence and confidence in using the rail network.”

Mr Lyon said having the images on display had created a “great level of energy and excitement” and enabled them to show their students’ talent and creativity.

Railway adverts were first produced in the 1930s to encourage people to visit destinations across Yorkshire.

The artworks have been unveiled as part of Railway 200 – the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway – and the project was funded by rail company Northern.

Kerry Peters, Northern regional director, said: “The posters these young artists have produced are brilliant and we would like to thank them for all their hard work.

“We asked them to come up with captivating designs – in the style of the iconic British Railways adverts – and they have surpassed our expectations.

“The students should be incredibly proud of this display, which advertises destinations that people can travel to by train in Yorkshire.”