Top five English heritage trips by rail

This English Tourism Week we celebrate some of the country’s most striking railway heritage. Here are our top five places to visit in England by rail.

The National Railway Museum

Take a trip to the historic walled city of York and discover some of Britain’s most important railway artefacts at The National Railway Museum, including what was once the country’s busiest signal box.

Network Rail recently donated original bricks from the foundations of Borough Market Junction signal box, which moved from London to the National Railway Museum in 1976. Our donation will help the latest phase of the box’s restoration – an approximately £40,000 project to move it indoors, build a new base and provide access for visitors. Once completed, the box will once again sit at its original height.

Severn Bridge Junction

Shrewsbury isn’t just famous for its castle and Tudor architecture – it’s home to Severn Bridge Junction, the world’s biggest working mechanical signal box.

Visitors to Shrewsbury railway station can enjoy views of the signal box from the station’s platforms.

The Settle – Carlisle line

Take a trip on one of the world’s most stunning stretches of railway – the Settle–Carlisle line – and take in views of the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbrian Fells. You’ll see Victorian architecture, remote station buildings and imposing stone viaducts.

The Royal Border Bridge

Despite its name, the Royal Border Bridge is entirely in England – it spans the River Tweed in Northumberland. One of eminent engineer Robert Stephenson’s best-known structures, its build completed on 26 March 1850, with Queen Victoria officially opening the structure on 29 August.

London Paddington station

London Paddington station is the grand terminus for the Great Western Railway that Isambard Kingdom Brunel always intended. Its history reflects that of the railway throughout the 19th, 20th and into the 21st century. Don’t forget to visit the railway’s most famous bear! Keep your eyes peeled for the bronze, life-sized statue of Paddington, designed by sculptor Marcus Cornish.