The Princess Royal toured the newly-opened Station Hall in York last night – and paid tribute to the National Railway Museum team.
Princess Anne was the VIP guest at a reception to celebrate not only the reopening of the hall following an £11 million refurb, but the 50th anniversary of the museum.
The hall reopens today, ahead of the NRM’s birthday celebration weekend, with talks, drop-in sessions and the running of the miniature railway.
In her speech, Princess Anne said the £11m refit of the Station Hall had made it “very much a living tribute to the rail travel of the time, but it is connected to the future.”
She spoke of the different roles of the trains on display.
“The last time I came here was to recognise the work that was done to conserve Queen Victoria’s carriage, which cannot have been easy given the skill sets required.
“Here again, it’s matched with conservation and restoration of other carriages.”
She said the museum’s collection was “much more than a series of machines and objects. They do really have stories to tell, and they’re about transport, power, national pride, all the other things have evolved with the railways.”
Princess Anne offered “my congratulations to everybody who’s been involved in this transformation. That’s curators, conservators, the engineers, and a lot of volunteers, I expect.
“The achievement of restoring this building and interpreting our heritage in this very important year for railways past, present and future, still has real resonance and real relevance.
“So thank you for all of your hard work. I’m sure that Station Hall will continue to inspire visitors of all ages.”
