Newcastle and Carlisle Railway notice. Cheap Train Wrestling Match between Ivison of Carlisle and Jameson of Newcastle at Haydon Bridge on Tuesday 29 July 1845

This Newcastle & Carlisle Railway notice from 1845 shows that railways soon began using eye-catching posters to promote their services. This one was published seven years after the line’s formal opening and advertises bargain excursion rates for passengers travelling to Newcastle for a wrestling match. It promotes trains laid on for the Cumberland & Westmoreland style wrestling match between Ivison of Carlisle and Jameson of Newcastle in July 1845. The wrestlers were from either end of the line. During the nineteenth century railways played an important role in the development of sport, carrying competitors and supporters. The printers often used stock images for these posters; it was only later that the railway companies played a direct part in producing the illustrations.