Padstow Gallery

Welcoming party on the opening day of Padstow railway station, Cornwall. 27th March 1899

A large group of welcoming dignitaries await the arrival of the first train into Padstow railway station on the opening day 27th March 1899. The station awning is decorated with flags and bunting for the occasion. 259 3/4 miles from Waterloo, the station was the western terminus of the North Cornwall Railway and was operated by the London and South Western Railway. The railway brought long-awaited prosperity to the town, a fish store and market built near the station enabled locally caught fish to be transported far and wide. A year after the coming of the railway, the imposing Metropole Hotel overlooking the station opened its doors for the first time. Photographer: Unknown

© From the collection of the RIC