Train Landscape by artist Eric Ravilious has been named as the world’s best-loved railway artwork in the UK, following a global poll organised by Railway 200 and Art UK to mark the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. The watercolour is in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums and has gone on display in Gallery 7 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Painted in 1940, it shows the chalk white horse of Westbury, Wiltshire, viewed through the window of a third-class train carriage. Tirzah Garwood, the wife of Eric Ravilious, made the collage using elements from different watercolours Ravilious painted whilst travelling on trains.
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.”
Railway 200 explores how a British invention changed the world forever and how the railway continues to shape our lives and livelihoods, presenting a constant source of inspiration to artists. The bicentenary commemorates the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in 1825 when George Stephenson drove Locomotion No.1 26 miles between Shildon, Darlington and Stockton. Alan Hyde from Railway 200 said: “Like the amazing artworks, this competition has captured the imagination of people around the world, highlighting an enduring connection between art and the railway. We hope that art lovers, rail enthusiasts and others will enjoy the Railway 200 exhibition on the Art UK website, and travel by train to enjoy these wonderful railway-inspired paintings at first hand during rail’s bicentenary.”
Andrew Ellis, Chief Executive of Art UK, said: “Art UK is delighted to have partnered with Railway 200 to connect the public to a truly wonderful selection of railway-inspired artworks held in collections across the UK. This masterful evocation of a sighting of the Westbury White Horse from a railway carriage by Eric Ravilious is an extremely worthy winner that also throws a spotlight on the rich art collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums. We are thrilled that the work will now be on display and we encourage everyone to make the train journey to Scotland and see it.”
Councillor Martin Greig, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokesman, said: “It’s a tremendous source of pride for all of us here in Aberdeen that the public vote has recognised Train Landscape in this way – to steam into first place ahead of a painting JMW Turner is really quite something. On a personal level, this painting has been a favourite of mine since childhood. It’s just one of the many outstanding treasures visitors to Aberdeen Art Gallery can enjoy free of charge, seven days a week. Art UK does a wonderful job of sharing the country’s public collections online, and we hope that this news will encourage people to travel to Aberdeen to experience Train Landscape in real life, along with all the other outstanding works on display at Aberdeen Art Gallery - just a short walk from the train station!”
Art lovers and rail enthusiasts can now enjoy a curated exhibition of the 20 most popular paintings on the Art UK website at artuk.org until 31 December 2025.
The final order of the top 20 best-loved UK railway artworks:
- Train Landscape, 1940, by Eric Ravilious (1903–1942), Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums
- Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway, 1844, by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), The National Gallery, London
- Service by Night, 1955, by David Shepherd (1931–2017), National Railway Museum
- The Travelling Companions, 1862, by Augustus Leopold Egg (1816–1863), Birmingham Museums Trust
- Clapham Junction, 1961, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), National Railway Museum
- By Rail to Wales, by Frank Wootton (1911–1998), National Railway Museum
- The ‘Coronation Scot’ Ascending Shap Fell, Cumbria, 1937, by Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971), National Railway Museum
- Talyllyn Railway on the Dolgoch Viaduct, 1967, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
- View from a Railway Carriage; Beginning of the Carriage, by Anna Todd (b.1964), Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
- Blue Train at Bowling Harbour, 1965, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), Glasgow Life Museums
- Waterloo Station, 1967, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), Science Museum
- Mallard, 1980s, by Ann Emily Carr (b.1929), Hopetown Darlington
- A Diesel Train on the Shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, near Keswick, Cumberland, by Barber (active c.1950–1961), National Railway Museum
- The Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 1825, 1949, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), National Railway Museum
- The Erecting Shop of the North British Locomotive Company’s Hyde Park Works, Glasgow, 1924, by Ralph Gordon Tetley (1910–1985), National Railway Museum
- Train Crossing Monsal Dale Viaduct, by Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971), National Railway Museum
- The Day Begins, 1946, by Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), National Railway Museum
- The Railway Station, 1862, William Powell Frith (1819–1909), Royal Holloway, University of London
- Euston Station: Loading the Travelling Post Office, 1948, by Grace Lydia Golden (1904–1993), The Postal Museum
- ‘Crimson Rambler’, 1992, by Philip D. Hawkins (b.1947), The Postal Museum
Image credit: Michal Wachucik / Abermedia LTD / Art UK