Community Rail Awards 2025 now open for Entries! Click here to read more.

Historic timeline exhibition unveiled at Gatwick Airport Station

An exhibition showing the timeline of Gatwick Airport’s history has been unveiled at the airport’s railway station.

The exhibition was the brainchild of Southeast Communities Rail Partnership officers Sharon Gray and Rowena Tyler and GTR Change Manager Paul O’Brien. Most of the research was done by local historian Bruce Healey, and the panels for the exhibition were designed and produced by the company 35 Creatives.

The small project team wanted to make good use of the spacious area above Platforms 5 and 6 and encourage visitors to the station to learn about the inception of Gatwick, right from its early days in the 13th century through to the Spitfire years and the opening of the airport by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1958, making it the first integrated road, rail and air hub in the world.

Funding from the project was secured from Coast to Capital, Gatwick Airport Limited, Network Rail and GTR.

Rowena Tyler, Development Officer for the Arun Valley Line (which includes Gatwick Airport), said: “This exhibition will be of interest to visitors to the station and also serve as an idea space for educational visits. Almost everyone living in the area has links to Gatwick, whether it’s the railway, the airport or the supporting service industries – and this exhibition shines a light on these connections.”

Keep up to date with future news, projects, and events from Southeast Communities Rail Partnership via their website.