A former railway conductor who was once commissioned to paint for the King Charles III has opened an art gallery at a Yorkshire station, bringing a new creative space to daily commuters and visitors.
Paul Mirfin, who worked for Northern for more than two decades, has launched the gallery at Grade II-listed Knaresborough station. The new venue includes a studio space where he paints and teaches art classes, with exhibitions featuring his impressionist oil works inspired by landscapes, big skies and the railway.
Mr Mirfin, who lives in Knaresborough, began painting six years ago after the Covid-19 pandemic forced him to pause live performances with his folk-rock group, ‘The Paul Mirfin Band‘. What started as a new way to stay creative quickly developed into a distinctive style, with bold colour and atmosphere becoming hallmarks of his work. He said:
“When I couldn’t gig, I became a bit frustrated so decided to start painting.
“I posted a photograph of one of my paintings on Facebook and I was a bit surprised when someone replied asking ‘how much?’. It just grew from there. I never planned any of this.
“I started out painting a lot of railway infrastructure, like viaducts, stations and signal boxes, and they were really popular. I love travelling around to different places on the railway to find inspiration for my work.”
In 2023, his growing reputation led to a royal commission. Mr Mirfin was asked to produce a painting for King Charles as a gift to mark the monarch’s 75th birthday. The artwork depicts a tree planted by the King outside ‘Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms’ in Harrogate in 2005 and is now kept at Clarence House in London.
“I’m really enjoying having my own space to paint and sell my work,” said Paul Mirfin. “I love it here.
“It’s a such beautiful station and I have worked on the line that runs through here for a long time, so I’ve gotten to know a lot of the passengers. They have been really supportive.
“It’s going well so far and I’m looking forward to the summer, as the stations gets really busy with all the tourists coming to see Knaresborough.”
The gallery is part of a wider trend of local businesses moving into Northern-managed stations, with a growing number of cafés, bars, art galleries and specialist shops opening in railway buildings. Northern said several stations, including Hebden Bridge and Bradford Interchange, currently have retail space available to rent.
Alex Hornby, Northern’s customer and commercial director said:
“We’re really proud of Paul and his incredible talents, and equally delighted that he’s decided to open his gallery at Knaresborough station.
“It’s a fantastic addition to the station as customers can now enjoy some of the impressive artwork on display.
“We are really keen to establish stations as true community assets and destinations in their own right. We have a range of units available to local businesses looking to set up shop in prime locations with high footfall.”
Northern is the UK’s second-largest train operator, running almost 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England. More than 100 million passenger journeys are made on its network each year, and the company employs over 7,000 people. The operator said its aim is to make a positive impact for the North and to help customers reach where they need to be safely, affordably and on time.
Paul Mirfin is a contemporary oil painter with a unique background that significantly influences his art www.paulmirfinart.com
