Collection of vintage posters worth £15,000 from the Golden Age of British travel is found under carpet of a rundown house
- A property developer discovered the posters underneath the carpet of a house he was renovating in Edinburgh
- The 1940s posters advertise resorts around the UK - such as Harrogate, Blackpool and Brighton
- Each of the ten posters, which are in mint condition is expected to fetch upwards of £1,500
A property developer discovered the fascinating set of vintage posters from the golden age of British rail travel underneath a carpet in a house he was renovating.
The posters, which are in mint condition, date back to the late 1940s and advertise seaside resorts around the country that could be visited by rail.
It is thought the collection of 10 posters belonged to a railway worker who used them to line the floorboards of his house in Edinburgh around 60 years ago.
Discovery: This staycation poster from the 1940s, which
attempts to entice travellers to visit Southend-on-Sea, was one of ten found
hidden underneath the carpet of house being renovated
Retro: The posters, which advertise locations around the
UK which could be visited by rail in the 1940s, are all in near perfect
condition
Many were issued by the British Railway Executive, the nationalised body that went on to become British Rail.
They are in such good condition that experts suspect they were never put on display.
The collection is tipped to fetch £15,000 when it goes under the hammer at Onslows in Blandford, Dorset.
The anonymous seller said: 'We were clearing out an end terrace property that we had just bought in Edinburgh in preparation for refurbishment.
'It was an old-style house that was badly in need of modernisation. To our surprise, as we were ripping up the carpets, we found this set of posters underneath.
Visit Brighton & Hove: Each of the ten posters
discovered by a property developer in a house in Edinburgh is expected to fetch
upwards of £15,000 at auction
The new Brighton: This poster issued by British Railways
attempts to lure tourists away from Brighton to Wallasey in Cheshire
'I’ve found plenty of unpleasant things under old carpets but never something like this of historical and monetary value.
'My guess is that he worked for the railways in Edinburgh and had access to these posters, which at the time weren’t worth anything.
'After we had got them all up I did a bit of research and found out they are worth quite a bit. It’s a nice bonus on top of buying the house.'
Patrick Bogue, auctioneer, said: 'The are posters were produced by the Railway Executive, the forerunner to British Rail, advertising holiday destinations around the country.
Hidden from view: It is believed the posters, including
this one of Harrogate in Yorkshire, were never put on display because they are
in such good condition
Piece of history: The posters would have been issued
shortly after the end of the Second World War when rail travel was being
promoted again
'The posters are all seaside holiday destinations that would have been accessible from Edinburgh.
'They were a little bit dirty from all the years under the carpets but they have been given a clean and now they’re immaculate.
'The colours are as bright as they were the day they were printed so I suspect the posters were never displayed.
'They are a great snapshots of the last days of the golden age of British rail travel.'
The sale is being held on December 20th.
Bygone age: The posters were left in the house by a former
owner who worked on the railways 60 years ago
Advertisement: The posters, which were used to help
promote train travel for leisure, are due to go on sale on Friday
Rare: A poster advertising the Naval Spithead Review in
1937 is one of the earliest in the collection
