Before the Internet, art was a major source of information and an important means of communication. This was especially the case for the railways. Railway posters used to adorn stations up and down the land with attractive images aimed at luring tourists to the most appealing towns.
Somerset was a major tourist spot, and there were bright summer posters for Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Minehead and others but a poster was never made for Portishead. So Pure Offices and JDF & Associates sponsored a competition in early 2012 to produce one for public display and use.
With the idea in mind that the Portishead Railway will be open again in the not too distant future, it was felt it was important for Portishead to have its own poster designed by a local artist. The aim was to portray Portishead in the best possible light to help to promote the proposed rail link to Bristol. The winning entry (see below) will be published in volume 7 of the Poster to Poster series of definitive books on railway poster art by Richard Furness.
Railway Poster Exhibition A very successful Poster Exhibition featuring over 50 classic images from the 40′s, 50′s and 60′s was hosted by Pure Offices in partnership with Dr Richard Furness on 22 to 24 March 2012. It was hoped to garner local support as part of our efforts to help re-instate the Portishead to Bristol Temple Meads line. The exhibition was held at Pure Offices reception, Kestrel Court, Harbour Road, Portishead, BS20 6LQ. |
Railway Poster Competition The winning entry received a £50 voucher for artist’s materials and will be published in volume 7 of the Poster to Poster series of definitive books on railway poster art. A selection of the entries received before 18 March were displayed at the Exhibition. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd winners were announced at the unveiling of the Mural on Sat 28 April 2012. Winners: 1st Bryan Evans, 2nd Alexander James and 3rd Susan Ullyott (see photo). The winning posters were displayed at our meeting on Tues 15 May 2012. Postcards and posters were created from the winning entry. |