The Duke of Gloucester paid a visit to the National Railway Museum in York this week, where he was given an exclusive preview of the institution’s ambitious multi-million-pound overhaul.
His Royal Highness toured the museum to learn about its planned new entrance building and a gallery dedicated to the future of rail travel.
The York stop formed part of a broader royal engagement across the historic city, which also took in York Castle Museum and York Minster.
The visit shone a spotlight on one of Britain’s most significant museum redevelopment projects, blending the nation’s proud railway heritage with a forward-looking vision for how the story of rail will be told to future generations.
During his tour, the duke explored several of the museum’s most celebrated exhibits, among them Stephenson’s Rocket and the legendary Mallard.
He also inspected the Duke of Gloucester Cab — a full-scale replica locomotive cab originally built as a functional model for enginemen to evaluate its design.
The moment proved a personal one. Andrew McLean, Assistant Director and Head Curator, noted: “When viewing the Duke of Gloucester Cab, His Royal Highness shared his own memories of driving the real Duke of Gloucester locomotive back in the 1980s.”
Family connections to the collection also caught the duke’s eye. He enquired about the Queen Mary nameplate, which bears the name of his late grandmother, and expressed particular enthusiasm for the Duchess Class locomotives whilst examining the Duchess of Hamilton.
The Duke of Gloucester paid a visit to the National Railway Museum in York this week, where he was given an exclusive preview of the institution’s ambitious multi-million-pound overhaul
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP
His Royal Highness was taken on a guided tour of the museum’s Our Transformation exhibition, which sets out proposals for Central Hall – a striking new entrance structure designed by the award-winning practice Feilden Fowles, inspired by a working railway roundhouse.
The building will bring level access across the site for the first time, alongside a fresh gallery space, café, shop and facilities.
He was also briefed on the Futures Gallery, a permanent exhibition area intended to showcase rail innovation and invite visitors to contemplate what lies ahead for the industry.
Mr McLean said: “We were delighted to welcome His Royal Highness to the National Railway Museum and showcase both our historic collection and our exciting plans for the future.”
He also inspected the Duke of Gloucester Cab — a full-scale replica locomotive cab originally built as a functional model for enginemen to evaluate its design
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP
Lisa Moore, Masterplan Project Director, added: “With his background in architecture, the design for Central Hall, based on a working railway roundhouse, coupled with an ambition to welcome even more visitors in the future, were of particular interest to the duke.”
Mrs Moore also emphasised the wider ambitions behind the project: “Alongside celebrating the remarkable story of the railways, our transformation will help create a more accessible, welcoming and inspiring museum for millions of visitors in the years ahead, and it was a privilege to share our ambitions with His Royal Highness.”
The redevelopment sits within the broader York Central partnership, one of the largest urban regeneration schemes anywhere in the country.
The National Railway Museum has the largest collection of railway objects in the world, including more than 260 locomotives and rolling stock, thousands of railway objects, and over 1.75 million documents
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP
Under these plans, the National Railway Museum is positioned as the cultural anchor of the entire development.
The transformation promises to deliver a more sustainable, welcoming and accessible destination, uniting the museum’s existing buildings under a single cohesive vision.
It is a project befitting a nation that gave the world the railway – and one that clearly resonated with a royal visitor who shares that pride.
The National Railway Museum has the largest collection of railway objects in the world, including more than 260 locomotives and rolling stock, thousands of railway objects, and over 1.75 million documents.
It celebrated its 50th birthday in 2025 and has welcomed almost 40 million visitors since it first opened in 1975.