Michael Willmot, secretary of the Far North Line CRP and former chair of the North Staffordshire CRP, is delivering a talk celebrating 200 years of railway heritage.

Michael’s presentation, ‘Railway History told through Posters’, gives colourful commentary on British railway history and development through the lens of railway posters from a glittering array of artists over the last two centuries.

From the earliest days of rail travel, poster advertising was used to encourage people to take the train. Through the artwork of and captions on such posters, we can catch a glimpse of not just the advances in engineering and design, but also the contemporary social concerns addressed in the advertising slogans.

Michael said: “I have given this talk many times now across the West Midlands and in Scotland, and each time, someone in the audience has come up and said that they’re a member of such and such group, and could I also give the presentation to them – so it does seem to have tapped a vein of interest.

“If you too know of any event that is looking for a light-hearted (but I hope thought provoking) and colourful item to mark Railway 200, please do get in touch.”

If you are interested in Michael hosting a talk at your event or station, please contact mwillmot@talktalk.net.