Four new display boards depicting the history of Steyning and Bramber stations have been unveiled.
The project, known as ‘The Lost Railway’, was a collaboration between Southeast Communities Rail Partnership (SCRP) and Steyning & District Community Partnership Visitor & Tourism Committee. The project, which has been in the works for three years, was made possible thanks to additional funding and support from the Community Rail Development Fund and the South Downs National Park Authority.
As well as depicting the history of the railway, the boards include QR codes that enable users to listen to audio commentary on the history of the Steyning Line, as well as summon an augmented reality figure of a station master.
The boards can be located in the vicinity of the Bramber Roundabout – the Steyning Board stands just below Bramber Castle and the other three boards are grouped together on the pathway leading to and from the walking and cycling routes used to link to the Downs.
A celebration get-together is currently being planned by the committee, to thank the funders and partners involved in the project.
Rowena Tyler, Sussex Coast Line community development officer at SCRP, said: “Supporting this project has been a pleasure. Not only are the boards an attractive and informative addition to this stretch of the Downs Link, but another positive outcome of the project has been linking community groups together via the Line Group to promote this initiative more widely.”
Reina Alston, a director of Steyning & District Community Partnership, said: “Putting together the intricate story of this Lost Railway has been a three-year task, and we are grateful to the Steyning Museum and local railway enthusiasts for their input and contributions.
“The illustrations accompanying the text are beautiful and detailed, and the result is a masterpiece. We were fortunate to secure funding from two supportive sources, which enabled us to move from concept and design to actual production. Please do look out for the date of the celebration event – it will be a great occasion.”
Keep up to date with future news, project and events from Southeast Communities Rail Partnership via their website.
