IN THE REWLEY ROAD VISITOR CENTRE ATTRACTIONS INCLUDE :

o Rewley Road station is itself a museum piece, being a listed building which was dismantled at its original site in Oxford city centre and re-erected here at Quainton. This was the terminus of the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR) which provided services between Oxford and London Euston. In fact passengers from Quainton could have travelled to Rewley Road fairly simply in the days of the Metropolitan Railway, using its connection with the L&NWR at Verney Junction.

o We have a number of L&NWR carriages, some of which are used to complement the appearance of Rewley Road station. Our beautifully restored dining carriage from the Royal Train stands at the platform end, finished in its original L&NWR livery picked out in gold leaf – unfortunately we cannot allow public access to the interior but the elegance can be seen and admired directly through the windows.

o Another superb restoration is our Cinema Coach with its special seating layout and display/projection facilities which allow presentations to small groups. This vehicle is also restored in its original L&NWR livery.

o In the adjacent platform is a beautiful example of an express passenger locomotive from the Great Western Railway (GWR) – named “Defiant” this is a member of the 4-6-0 Castle Class and is on loan to us from the Birmingham Railway Museum.

o Behind the locomotive is a really historic GWR carriage, recently restored in its original chocolate and cream livery. This vehicle was used for meetings between Prime Minister Churchill and General Eisenhower during the Second World War. If you look through the windows you might see one of the early typewriters (that preceded word processing!) and perhaps one of Mr. Churchill’s cigars!