Original railway advertising poster, Cheshire Lines Railway. For Business or Pleasure, c. 1932.

One of the best pre-war pictorial railway posters, the design depicts the route of the Cheshire Lines Railway in south Lancashire and west Cheshire. As the title implies, the railway is presented as ideally situated for both business and leisure. Hence, the ‘inter-city’ commuter routes (esp the flagship Manchester to Liverpool service) are prominently marked, together with the region’s various heavy industries, but so too are the rural charms of Cheshire & Lancashire, the ‘old world town’ of Knutsford, the sporting delights of Old Trafford, Aintree and Belle Vue and the escapism of Southport (‘Garden City of Attractions’). 

The poster is, in fact, crammed full of detail, from young families ambling on the beach at Ainsdale to the workers’ paradise of Port Sunlight and the creameries of Cuddington. If you know this area you will be entranced by the highly specific references. Although not everything is represented with geographic accuracy.  Decorative balance, for example, has been achieved by depicting the ICI plant at Winnington, Northwich (served by the Cheshire Lines) roughly where the substantial town of Frodsham (not served by the Cheshire Lines) should be!

Unusually, this poster was reissued several times by the Cheshire Lines during the 1930s and, possibly, just after the war. This example, though, is a first edition listing S.T. Burgoyne as Manager (he resigned in 1932). Later copies have Gerald Leedham as ‘Secretary and Manger’.

Although the poster shows signs of age, the colours are bright and bold. Delightful. A higher resolution file is available for viewing on request.