Castle Gallery

Tintagel Castle Beach, August 1927

A GWR publicity view of the ruins of Tintagel Castle on the rugged northern coast of Cornwall. This image looks down into the valley and the beach between the medieval castle and the mainland and was taken in August 1927. The headland was an important trading site for hundreds of years until the 7th century AD and is linked to Arthurian legends. The site is managed by English Heritage

© STEAM Museum of the GWR

Locomotive 4096, Highclere Castle with its wartime black out screen, c.1940

A train speeding through the countryside at night was a prime target for the German Luftwaffe. The glow from the locomotive firebox and light from the carriages made a train all too visible to the enemy. One of the blackout measures introduced by the GWR was the anti-glare screen. This image of Castle Class locomotive, Highclere Castle, shows an anti-glare screen attached to the cab roof and tender. During daylight the screen could be rolled back and, should an air raid be called, it could be quickly pulled back over the cab. This screen only covered the roof of the cab, but some screens covered the sides too

Radway Tower and thatched cottage, Edgehill, June 1930

This tower is situated at the summit of Edgehill on the B4086. It was built in the 1700s and replicates Guy's Tower at Warwick Castle. It is said to mark the spot where King Charles raised the standard before the famous battle between the Royalists and Parliamentarians at Edgehill in 1642. The tower is now a public house called The Castle

© STEAM Museum of the GWR