POSTERS FOR SALE!

Six beautiful posters of the Darent Valley Line can be purchased in person from the Victorian-style Bat & Ball Station Cafe (open Mon to Fri 7.30am to 3.30pm) and online from the More Sevenoaks online shop.

In 2022, the Darent Valley Community Rail Partnership invited artists to submit work for a project to represent each of the six station areas through art. A short-list of artists was created and voted on, and a deserving winner emerged: Kit Boyd.

An established British romantic artist, Kit Boyd’s work reflects his love of nature and place. A lifelong fan of Shoreham artist Samuel Palmer, together with Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and another local Graham Sutherland (who were each commissioned to make railway art), it was wonderful that Kit had the chance to record his own responses to our beautiful part of Kent. He visited each station several times, talking to locals, visiting landmarks, exploring local museums. He sketched constantly, making careful decisions, weighing up what each place meant, choosing elements to include. The final artworks then came together, with several vibrant linocuts, one ink drawing and a watercolour, now complete.

In each image there are small details reflecting the history or special features of each area – search for a subtle solar system in the Otford pond, a towering cumulus cloud in the Shoreham image (very Samuel Palmer), Virginia Woolf’s character Orlando sitting under a tree in Knole Park, or the markets and horticultural history captured in Swanley’s poster.

The finished posters (designed by Tim Higginson at Queste Design) were inspired by the beautiful 1920s/30s rail travel posters, which captured people’s hearts and remain well loved today. Commissioned in the main by the visionary London Transport executive Frank Pick, these formed part of a ‘public art gallery’, with artworks created by some of the most talented artists of the day. Pick believed in the power of good design to brighten up our lives and used these images to encourage travellers to try new routes, or use train travel for shopping or theatre trips. Sometimes the destinations were a long way out of London (sounds familiar?) and enticing images of the countryside drew people further afield.

Our posters will be used as part of a big campaign on Southeastern and Thameslink train platforms – and on social media and beyond – all designed to encourage sustainable visits to and within the Darent Valley.  We were also very excited to have been featured on BBC South East News in April 2023, with a three-minute item all about this project and interviews with Kit Boyd (artist), Elliott Waters (Southeastern), Cllr Irene Collins (Sevenoaks District Council) and Sarah Newman (DVCRP Rail Officer). Video – Google Photos 

Keep an eye out for an exhibition of Kit Boyd’s work, together with famous posters on loan from the National Rail Museum and London Transport, later in the year.

Posters for sale!

Posters are for sale as art quality prints (A4, A3, A2 and A1) at Bat & Ball Station Cafe (open 7.30am to 3pm Mon to Fri) for £6, £10, £15 and £20 respectively.  We are encouraging everyone to stop in this beautiful cafe for a tea/coffee and homemade cake/sandwiches too!

The posters are also available online from the More Sevenoaks Shop.  To order, please follow this link here.  Orders may take several days to arrive, so do allow time.   Any queries should be directed to the supplier Mediatek.   

Thank you for all the enthusiastic poster-related emails to date so far – note that we will keep your data only for the purposes of contacting you about the posters.