Tales from the Rails was a partnership between Newfield School and WAT, funded by East Midlands Railway Community Fund and the Church Burgesses Educational Foundation. The project celebrated stories from early rail history in Sheffield.
WAT began the project by training the participants to use British Newspaper Archives to research railway stories from Sheffield between 1899 and 1923.
WAT began the project by training the participants to use British Newspaper Archives to research railway stories from Sheffield between 1899 and 1923.
Paul then guided the group in turning some of the stories into high quality short audio scripts.
The stories included a ghost story; the mysterious death of a variety artiste; a famous diamond robbery at H.L. Brown’s; railway strikes; and an elephant on the streets of Sheffield.
The stories included a ghost story; the mysterious death of a variety artiste; a famous diamond robbery at H.L. Brown’s; railway strikes; and an elephant on the streets of Sheffield.
The scripts were then performed, recorded and made available via the Tales from the Rails podcast. They have been downloaded hundreds of times.
Donna Lee, Assistant Head at Newfield said: ‘The project weaves so many interesting academic skills into one whilst bringing students who are passionate about history, writing and performance together. The project allows students to learn more about local history and develop their skills as well as offering opportunity for the local community to also get involved. We were excited to be hosting such a fantastic project and loved the quality of the stories as they came to life’.
Tales from the Rails Exhibition Unveiled on Sheffield Station
ArtWorks SY artists created work inspired by the stories.
On May 28th 2024 WAT were part of the launch of the exhibition at Sheffield Station. The exhibition ran until the end of August 2024.
“The ArtWorks artists have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the “Tales from the Rails” and learning about the unexpected stories of things that have happened in Sheffield’s rail history.
-Dominika Rojewska, Arts Coordinator, ArtWorks SY
“East Midlands Railway is delighted to have supported ArtWorks SY and Whitworks Adventures in Theatre, along with the teachers and pupils of Newfield School, with funding for this collaborative community project. The results are a fascinating glimpse into the history of Sheffield railway station, brought to life by the dramatic endeavours of Newfield School. Now even more people will be able to learn about and listen to the stories thanks to this unique exhibition.”
-Alexa Stott, Community Ambassador, for East Midlands Railway
On May 28th 2024 WAT were part of the launch of the exhibition at Sheffield Station. The exhibition ran until the end of August 2024.
“The ArtWorks artists have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the “Tales from the Rails” and learning about the unexpected stories of things that have happened in Sheffield’s rail history.
-Dominika Rojewska, Arts Coordinator, ArtWorks SY
“East Midlands Railway is delighted to have supported ArtWorks SY and Whitworks Adventures in Theatre, along with the teachers and pupils of Newfield School, with funding for this collaborative community project. The results are a fascinating glimpse into the history of Sheffield railway station, brought to life by the dramatic endeavours of Newfield School. Now even more people will be able to learn about and listen to the stories thanks to this unique exhibition.”
-Alexa Stott, Community Ambassador, for East Midlands Railway
