Two full length portraits of former Midland Railway Company Chairmen are on public view for the first time in 150 years at the Midland Railway – Butterley. They were originally in the Board / Shareholders Room of the old Midland Railway Station in Derby, and after 40 years have been returned to Derbyshire. Only ever having been viewed by a privileged few, the Midland Railway Trust is delighted to put them on public display for the first time. They will form the centrepiece of the railway’s 2025 exhibition “Art of the Railways”, in Swanwick Junction Station.
When the old station in Derby was demolished in 1985, the full length portraits were removed to a Science Museum storage facility and were later moved into the stores of the National Railway Museum in York. They were transferred to the Midland Railway Trust in 2023 and went straight to conservators for extensive cleaning, restoration and framing. After nearly two years, they now have a new home at the Midland Railway – Butterley. One of the conservators commented: “I have never come across paintings so dirty. They had been re-varnished in the past over existing dirt and we have had to remove these layers one by one.”
The portraits were both painted by John Lindsay Lucas R.A., a renowned portrait painter of the period, who painted members of the royal family and other prominent figures in the 19th century. The portraits are of William Evans Hutchinson (Midland Railway Chairman 1864 – 1870) and William Philip Price M.P. (Midland Railway Chairman 1870 – 1874). Both were commissioned by the Midland Railway Board of Directors under instructions from the shareholders of the Company, shortly before the Chairmen retired from office.
The Midland Railway Trust is very grateful for the support of the Science Museum Group, Museum Development Midlands, the Art Fund, Arts Council England and individual donors who have made this project possible.
The “Art of the Railways” exhibition will be open from 3rd May until late September 2025.
MR Chairman 1864 1870
MR Chairman 1870 1874