Location, Location, Location

Is there a more satisfying feeling than creating something you are immensely proud of? On the flip side, is there anything more terrifying than unleashing it to the world? LoveYourLocation.co.uk has been 10 years in the making, and way back in 2007 none of us knew we’d ever reach this point, or even an inkling as to whether the goal to create THE online location based gift shop was even possible.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the British Railway Posters ad campaign from the 1930s that ran successfully right through the 40s, 50’s and 60s. These now iconic posters appeared in railway stations up and down the country enticing visitors to see the sights of a faraway seaside town or tourist hotspot. If you’re not familiar with these posters, I urge you check out the National Railway Museum collection here, right now. Search for your home town or county, or a holiday destination you visited as a child – it’ll take you right back there.

It was this railway poster collection that started it all for us and gave us the inspiration to create contemporary versions of these stunning locations.

Step one was finding artists that could do justice to the quality and detail found in these original railway posters. Posters that would again pinpoint an exact moment in time and celebrate each location individually.

We knew, that like myself, people had a great fondness for these originals and so to simply redraw them was pointless – and anyway how could we improve on perfection? OUR aim was to create contemporary versions of new locations that were NOT available from the NRM collection. To sit alongside this range, doffing a cap to the great British artists of years gone by (the likes of Wilkinson, Cuneo and Purvis) and essentially keeping the tradition alive of showcasing significant towns, cities and specific monuments all over the UK.

Step two was convincing these artists to believe in our objectives. Easier said than done, but amazingly as each new artist came on board, we were able to bring them along for the ride.

Originally we were just planning on offering these illustrations as Fine Art Prints but it soon became obvious that collectors and customers alike would want these beautiful images across a huge selection of gifts. Which is why today we are proud to offer each original piece of artwork on mugs, magnets, coasters, place mats, key rings, tote bags, tea towels and so much more.

I’d like to personally thank each and every person who has believed in us, worked with us, stuck with us and helped make this dream a reality after all these years – without you, we simply couldn’t have done it.

This is just day one now of the next leg of the journey and we still have a huge way to go. We have grand plans to grow this platform and transform it into something much, much bigger and indeed of significant importance both to budding artists and for UK tourism as a whole, so watch this space – and in the meantime we hope you enjoy what we have created so far.

Best wishes from all of the Love Your Location Team.

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