Historic Royal Plaque finds new home at Crewe Heritage Centre
On 14th January we celebrated the handover of a historic plaque commemorating the Crewe Works 1913 Royal visit.
Located in one of the de-commissioned signal boxes at Basford Hall freight depot, the plaque was saved by Network Rail and donated to Crewe Heritage Trust. We’re thrilled to accept the artefact which will now be protected and preserved by us as part of the permanent collection here at the Heritage Centre, for the long-term benefit of the people of Crewe.
Above: Chair of Crewe Heritage Trust, Gordon Heddon, holds the Kings Plaque, alongside volunteers and trustees at Crewe Heritage Centre, and staff from Network Rail.
The plaque commemorated the 1913 Royal Visit of King George V and Queen Mary to the Old Works -a huge moment for the whole town. The Royal couple were met at the train station by large crowds waving flags and streamers and the town was decorated with bunting and fairy lights.
The Old Works was famously established in 1843 as the original engineering facility for the railways in Crewe, produced some of the country’s best-known steam locomotives, and which underwent significant development over the years.
King George V and Queen Mary’s arrival at Crewe Station in 1913. Image Courtesy of Cheshire library and Archives
The decision to pass the plaque to Crewe Heritage Trust was made by The Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board (RHDAB). The Board considers items of national significance and agrees which institution should receive and look after those items when they are no longer required by the railway business that owns them.
Crewe has been overlooked as a place that can care for its own heritage, so this decision is a significant sign of a growing belief in Crewe Heritage Trust as the rightful custodians of historic objects that relate to the town’s history. It also demonstrates a new understanding that the Trust is able to provide both the appropriate care, and the historical context for artefacts such as this.
The Trust is currently working towards Museum Accreditation as part of a wider transformational project that will result in a large-scale capital redevelopment of the Heritage Centre site. The growth, and care, of our collection is therefore a significant area of development for us.
We hope to have the plaque on display in time for our new season opening on 29th March, and as part of this year’s Railway 200 celebrations – a national year-long programme of events and activities celebrating the 200th anniversary of the invention of the modern railway.