An exhibition celebrating the history of Hatfield station has opened as a contribution towards Railway 200, a year long celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway.
Curated by Hatfield Association of Rail Travellers (HART), the display at the station features photos and maps from Hatfield station’s long, fascinating and sometimes surprising history.
Everyone is invited to visit the free exhibition, which will be open until the end of November (from first to last train each day) and is being hosted in the main concourse of the station across six boards.
From its opening in 1850, Hatfield station was a key hub on the East Coast Mainline and grew to be the terminus of three local branch lines. It was a depot for locomotives and their crews, with a locomotive shed and turntable to the west of the line. To the east was a goods yard, with a wide range of goods being loaded and unloaded at Hatfield, as well as passing through, including to/from the branch lines.
Particularly during the periods when Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury was prime minister, the station frequently saw important visitors, including British and foreign royalty, as well as being used by Lord Salisbury himself to travel to and from London, often using a dedicated train carriage.
Great Northern has facilitated the exhibition and local partners have provided help and allowed us to use a wide range of images to give glimpses into a fascinating history.