Northern conductor who painted for the King sets up art gallery at Yorkshire station

Paul Mirfin set up his gallery at the Grade II listed Knaresborough station earlier this year. He also has a studio, where he paints and teaches art classes.

The impressionist oil painter, who lives in Knaresborough and has worked for Northern for 23 years, is known for producing striking paintings of landscapes, skies and the railway.

In 2023, Paul was commissioned to produce artwork for King Charles, as a present for his 75^th birthday.

The painting, of a tree the monarch planted outside Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms in Harrogate in 2005, is now kept at his Clarence House residence in London.

“I'm really enjoying having my own space to paint and sell my work,” said Paul. "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.”

Paul began painting six years ago, when the Covid 19 pandemic prevented him from playing gigs with a folk-rock group called The Paul Mirfin Band.

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.”

Local businesses have sent up shop in dozens of railway stations managed by Northern, running everything from cafes and bars to art galleries and antique shops.

A number of stations, including Hebden Bridge and Bradford Interchange, currently have retail space which is 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.”

The full list of available units at Northern stations can be found here.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.