All Aboard for The Railway Children Day at Grove Park Station and The Ringway Centre! đźš‚
As part of Southeastern’s Rail200 celebrations marking 200 years of UK rail travel, Grove Park station put on a nostalgic tribute to E. Nesbit’s much-loved classic – The Railway Children – this May 2025.
The event paid homage to the author’s deep local connection—Nesbit once lived on Baring Road at a house called the Three Gables. The house has long since been demolished, but stood spanning the site of The Ringway Centre and Stratfield House, and overlooked the railway and what’s now known as Grove Park Nature Reserve. Her time here inspired the setting of her famous children’s story. While she resided here, her children were about the same age as the children in the book, and the character Peter, is a tribute to her son Paul who loved trains.
The day began with local children dressing up with nostalgic period costumes, followed by a guided heritage walk along the Peace Trail, through The Ringway Centre and onward towards the railway embankment where the children waved at the trains, just like in the book. The Ringway Centre were really pleased to host the pit stop refreshments, as today, Camp Nesbit in our woodland garden marks this literary link.
Returning to Grove Park station, families were treated to refreshments and a delightful blend of history and storytelling, enjoying excerpts from the story read by Peter Jenkinson, concluding with a surprise treat, sponsored by Hornby, Brio, and Plus-Plus.
We are very grateful to Southeastern, Lee O’Dwyer (Station Manager at Grove Park) and his team and to Peter Jenkins who helped coordinate and provide a lovely local family day. Photo Credit: Andy Jones.
