‘Train Landscape’ by artist Eric Ravilious has been named as the best-loved railway artwork in the UK.
The watercolour was painted in 1940 and shows the chalk white horse of Westbury, Wiltshire, viewed through the window of a third-class train carriage. Tirzah Garwood, wife of Eric Ravilious, made the collage using elements from different watercolours Ravilious painted while travelling by train.
Ella Ravilious, granddaughter of Eric Ravilious, said: “I’m thrilled that Train Landscape has been voted best-loved railway artwork, as it captures travel through the British landscape in a third-class carriage in the late 1930s. This painting by my grandfather, Eric Ravilious, was created with the assistance of my grandmother, Tirzah Garwood.
“Eric rode back and forth on the train, making several watercolours, none of which he was totally happy with. Tirzah collaged the best bits of each painting together to create a successful picture. Train lovers might notice that the chalk figure visible from the train window should be the Long Man of Wilmington rather than the Westbury Horse because it was painted on the Brighton to Eastbourne line.”
The details of the favourite railway artworks followed a global poll held to mark the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. The announcement of the winning artwork was made on 9 June to coincide with the birthday of rail pioneer George Stephenson.
The second most popular artwork was the evocative ‘Rain, Steam and Speed’ by J.M.W Turner (1775-1851) and the third most popular choice was ‘Service by Night’ by David Shepherd (1931-2017).
Art lovers and rail enthusiasts can now enjoy a curated exhibition of the 20 most popular paintings on the Art UK website until 31 December 2025.
‘Train Landscape’ is held in the collection of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums and has now been placed on public display.
Image credit: Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums
