Well, that’s a Turner-up for the books! How we’re inspiring budding artists and train enthusiasts in Kent
Turner 250 x Railway 200: Not only is this a momentous year for our railway, 2025 also marks the 250th birthday of a much loved and respected ‘local’ artist on our patch – JMW Turner. You may have heard of him?
Turner was a Romantic British artist best known for his iconic paintings depicting the dramatic beauty of nature and the disruptive advances in technology at the time – including trains, as depicted in ‘Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway’, unveiled in 1844. He had a close relationship with Margate, having gone to school there and using the dramatic sea views as early inspiration.
Watch this video of Michal Palin talking about Rain, Steam and Speed (his favourite painting)
Working together to inspire the next generation
We couldn’t let both anniversaries pass without doing something to celebrate, so we partnered with the Turner Contemporary, in Margate, to offer free train travel and educational resources for children under 12 on specially arranged school trips (you can download the PDF below).
The educational booklet being given to the school children will teach them about the history of trains and Margate, as well as encouraging them to examine Turner’s art and the world around them, to inspire them to create their own masterpieces.
There’s also an opportunity for the young people who take part to have their artwork displayed at Margate station.
This is a brilliant example of Southeastern colleagues thinking ‘What if?’ and working in close partnership with local organisations to ensure a brighter future for our local communities and the next generation. Can’t wait to see the pictures in Margate!
Notes to editors
You can find out more about the Turner Contemporary Creative Isle Community Partnership here: https://turnercontemporary.org/learning/creative-isle-community-rail-partnership