Original 1950s railway posters celebrating Britain’s golden age of seaside package holidays

A collection of vintage railway posters that celebrate the golden age of the seaside package holiday have been unearthed during a house clearance.

The colourful 1950s posters were discovered under a pile of knick-knacks at the back of a cupboard in the flat of an elderly couple who had passed away in Perthshire, Scotland.

They include a racy image of a lady in a bikini promoting the resort of Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, and a sweet picture of a mother playing with her young child on the beach at Bognor Regis, West Sussex.

The posters were produced by British Railways, with others showing the resort at Redcar, North Yorkshire, and New Milton in Hampshire where the New Forest meets the south coast.

Moving inland, there are posters showcasing Loch Awe in the Scottish Highlands, Cheltenham Spa in the Cotswolds, the Lake District and, intriguingly, Oundle School in Northants.

In total, eight posters will go under the hammer with auction house Lindsay Burns & Co of Perth, where they are expected to fetch £1,000.

The collection of posters include a racy image of a lady in a bikini promoting the resort of Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire

The vendor’s grandfather is believed to have taken the posters home when he worked as a clerk at Southport Railway Station in Merseyside in the 1950s.

They were passed down to the elderly couple who kept hold of them until their recent deaths.

Nick Burns, auctioneer at Lindsay Burns & Co, said: ‘We were doing a clearance of a deceased couple’s estate and in the back of a cupboard underneath some knick-knacks we found the posters.

This poster celebrates Loch Awe in the Scottish Highlands, enticing holidaymakers to come and see it by rail

Nick Burns, auctioneer at Lindsay Burns & Co, where the posters are being sold, said they would have likely ‘ended up in the bin’ after an advertising campaign had they not been rescued by the seller’s grandfather, who worked as a clerk at Southport Railway Station 

‘They were folded up and the fact they have been covered has probably helped to preserve them.

‘The vendor’s grandfather worked as a clerk at Southport Railway Station so it is likely he took them home after an advertising campaign when they were deemed surplus to requirements.

‘Otherwise they would have ended up in the bin.

The state owned British Railways operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997

‘They date from the 1950s when going to the seaside was a popular holiday destination.

‘They are stylish posters by famous artists of the day who were commissioned by the railway company.’

The state owned British Railways operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997.

In their early and mid-20th century heyday, seaside towns attracted scores of working class holidaymakers as travel became more affordable and factories put on day trips.

However, the advent of cheap air travel since the 1990s has made foreign getaways more accessible, prompting a decline of many seaside resorts.

The sale takes place on April 16.

In their early and mid-20th century heyday, seaside towns attracted scores of working class holidaymakers as travel became more affordable and factories put on day trips

The advent of cheap air travel since the 1990s has made foreign getaways more accessible, prompting a decline of many seaside resorts