Description

A poster, made for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) showing a map view of the lines that LNER operate out of London and into the Home Counties. Text underneath the image on the poster reads 'Explore the Home Counties. Cheap Day Return tickets by Rail. Helpful Booklets - Rambles in Buckinghamshire, The Chilterns, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Epping Forest, Suffolk

Community curation - written by a member of the Community Co-production group, who has lived experience of disability, D/deafness and/or neurodiveregnce:

“Seeing that map makes me feel so nostalgic, it reminds me of going to visit my grandparents in Welwyn Garden City as a kid, the excitement of going from Peterborough to see them at the weekends. But funnily, if my assistance wasn’t there at Welwyn when we arrived, my Nan would shout across the line, across the East Coast Mainline, she’d shout across to the other platform, ‘Where’s the ramp?’ or something or other. It was just hilarious, my nan’s reaction, and then someone would always come running!”

Curatorial note:

I chose to display this image in the exhibition about disabled people's experiences of rail travel 'Go as you Please'. This image, as a map, represents Curiosity and Possibilities, the start of a new experience or perhaps familiar journeys. But with these things can comes uncertainty around time, distance, accessibility. Sometimes, the unknown element of travel can be difficult for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people to navigate, and therefore, the safety of well-trodden and well-known journeys can be crucial - Amy Thraves-Connor, Curating for Change Fellow at the National Railway Museum