Caustic Comment On Railway Tavern Cars

Chronicle (Levin), 2 June 1949, Page 3

Caustic Comment On Railway Tavern Cars

Reeeived Wednesday 7,p.m. LONDON, June 1. . . 1 British railways, which last week-eud exhibited with every appeafance of self-satisfaction, four railway coaches painted and decorated to represent old world English inns, are being strongly criticised for what is "considered to be a serious lapse from good taste and an attempt to introduce cheap and spurious methods of attracting tourists. Over the signatures of the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, pfincipal of the Royal College. of Art, chair- , man of the Council of Industrial Design, the president of the Architeetural Assoeiation, the president of the Design and Industries Assoeiation, the ehairman of the Council of the Royal Assoeiation, ehairman of the council of the Royal Society of Arts, ehairman of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and the Master of the Faculty of the Royal Designers for Industry, the following le'tter appeared in The Times : "The appearance on British railways of tavern cars dressed up to look like old English inns with painted brickworlc and false beams, is the reductio ad absurdum of the mania for the false antique. These cars are r'idieulous even by the silliest roadhouse standards. It is deplorable that a publie authority should set such an example. " Even before this letter appeared, a uumber of newspapers had referred disparagingly to the travelling taverns. "The Glasgow Herald remarked: "This is as olde Euglishe as ye oldo Englishe petrol pumps." The Manchester Guardian described it is " a brilliant exercise in the inept. 5 ' Editorially the Guardian asks: "What will the next venture be? Pull down the Wren churehes and have Wren railway stations instead? Put Chelsea pensioners into lchaki and give their uniforms to the railway porters instead? And where is the dummy roast beef for the re3taurant cars?"