Built in the 1870s, the Station Hall was once home to York's main goods station and was a working part of the railway until the 1960s. It closed to visitors in 2023 to enable a £11m restoration project, funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The building has undergone major architectural and structural improvements during the project including a new roof. 

The exhibition space showcases more than 200 years of railway history. Items on display include station signage and the first on-train toilets, plus testimonies from railway workers and passengers. New to the exhibition is a WHSmith bookstall from 1921 and a passimeter (or ticket kiosk) from Winchmore Hill station.

Working with Drinkall Dean our brief was to celebrate the station and the universal stories it can shine light on. We were given access to the museums immense image and object archive, in particular the photographs by Howard Grey depicting Windrush migrants freshly arrived in the UK as they set out on train journeys from Waterloo Station across the country. 

Our themes covered travel, tourism, royalty and rail freight. Each of these themes had a central content hub applied to bespoke designed furniture that allowed the visitor to delve into the narrative. Objects were displayed in showcases and salon hung for maximum impact. 

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