Rainhill Trials Exhibition

RAINHILL TRIALS EXHIBITION SUMMARY

History

The 1829 Rainhill Locomotives Trials, and the winning locomotive, the Rocket, set the pattern for railway development for the next 150 years. The Liverpool & Manchester Railway formed the pattern for the railways that very quickly developed all over the country and all over the world. Thus, Rainhill is universally acknowledged to be the starting point for the railway systems of
the world.

During the three days of the Rainhill 150 Cavalcade in 1979 more than 250,000 people visited Rainhill. The present exhibition was created at that time, and temporarily housed in Rainhill Station .

It was the intention from the start to transfer the exhibition to a permanent building, and at the time St. Helens MBC undertook to provide a permanent building attached to the Library at an estimated cost of £37,000. However, owing to financial constraints, this was not forthcoming, and in 1982 the existing Rainhill Trials Committee was re-formed with many new members, and permanent representatives from Rainhill Parish Council and the Library. With the aid of funds raised by Prescot Rotary Club during the Rocket 150 celebrations, and with support from the Parish Council, the Exhibition was re-located in a 1957-built British Railways Mark 1 carriage in the grounds of, and connected to, Rainhill Library. This was brought about by a dedicated team of Society volunteers who worked for over three years to modify the carriage and to adapt, refurbish and install the exhibits. The new exhibition, with an added section on the Rainhill 150 Cavalcade and a display of railway relics was opened in 1986 and proved an immediate success.


Since the establishment of the exhibition in its present form, the displays have been augmented by the addition of memorabilia of local railway history, and improvements to the original exhibits. In the 27 years that the exhibition has been open, it has attracted an increasing number of visitors from all over Britain and overseas.


In 2006, St Helens Council initiated a feasibility study on the future of the exhibition, from which the most substantive outcome was the creation of the “www.Rainhilltrials.com” website, to act as a virtual museum. Designed to cater for future development, it provides a comprehensive exposition of the history of the Trials, and the associated background. The website has attracted a large number of visits and subsequent enquiries.

In 2010, the Society obtained a Lottery grant under the auspices of the “Awards for All” scheme. This enabled the photographic displays to be refurbished, a computed based Audio-visual display to be installed to replace the old video tape system, and the updating of the stock of educational material.
Also in 2010, St Helens Council carried a significant amount of work on the concept of incorporating the exhibition into the disused part of Rainhill Station (from which it had originated), combining it with a wine bar to provide the commercial support.

Unfortunately, whilst the design work had advanced significantly, funding for both further development and potential execution dried up because of the sudden change in the economic climate.

In 2011 the society was approached by NorthernRail, who wished to do something for Rainhill, and particularly the exhibition, as part of their Community Engagement policy. The net result of this initiative was the much-needed external refurbishment of the coach, and its’ repainting in a close approximation of the original 1830 Liverpool and Manchester Railway Livery, in so far as it could be applied to a modern rail vehicle. NorthernRail also carried out some internal redecorating.

At the same time, The Transport Trust installed on of their “Red plaques”,
marking the significance of Rainhill and the 1829 Trials in the history of transport.

Ownership

The present railway coach, and the library building to which it is attached, are owned by St Helens Council. The Exhibition contents are owned by either by Rainhill Railway & Heritage Society or are on loan.


Legal Structure

The Rainhill Railway and Heritage Society was formed as a constituted Society in 1987. The constitution sets out the aims of the society to support and maintain the exhibition, and to further education, research and conservation, which the Society regards as being of paramount importance in promoting our railway heritage.

There is a committee, elected annually, responsible for the management and finance of the Society. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the subject, on payment of the appropriate subscription.

The society can provide speakers for external organisations and also for schools as part of the education programme.

A programme of relevant educational talks and excursions is provided during the course of each year. Meetings are held normally in Rainhill Village hall, and advertised locally. Such meetings are open, free of charge, to any interested person.