Tag Archives: Trevor Howard

Brief Encounter

1940s, 1990s, art, British, flowers, me, movie posters, movies, on location, quotes, trains, travel, Victorian, YT, , ,

[from My Photo a Day Adventure blog]

Thursday, May 5, 2022 … Two married strangers meet by chance at a railway station café. They continue to meet every week in the small café, although they know their love is impossible … David Lean’s 1945 film, Brief Encounter … So intrigued to see the “Brief Encounter Refreshment Room” sign at Wymondham Station … on two trips from Durham to Norwich, Norfolk, England … Could this be the movie location?! … August 12, 1999 …

Photo from train, stopped at Wymondham Railway Station, west of Norwich, Norfolk, England. Sandwich board sign near station doors, "Brief Encounter Refreshment Room. Refreshments, Lunches. Every Day." Red and black drawing of Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, stars of David Lean's 1945 film Brief Encounter. But, is this the railway station where it was filmed? August 12, 1999
From train window … Wymondham Station … west of Norwich, England … Brief Encounter Refreshment Room sign … red and black drawing of stars, Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard … August 1999 Durham, England home exchange

Below … Strangers when we meet … How long will it last? … Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson … Brief Encounter won Grand Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival  … and had three 1947 Oscar nominations: Actress, Celia Johnson; Director, David Lean; Writing, Screenplay …

Movie poster, Brief Encounter, 1945, directed by David Lean. Drawings of Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, portion of railway station and tracks. England.
Brief Encounter, 1945 … based on Noel Coward’s 1936 short play, Still Life … What railway station was used? … Was it Wymondham, near Norwich, or …?

Below … Mystery solved! … outdoor scenes were shot at Carnforth Railway Station in Lancashire, Northwest England … Video is a wonderful combination of clips from the film and the current working Victorian station, now a Heritage Centre … with a vintage mini cinema … where Brief Encounter is shown about 1,500 times a year …

“It’s not often you can say this about a working railway station, but this place is all about love. The love of rail travel and the celebration of a great love film. Brief Encounter takes us back to a bygone era – the golden age of steam, where everything seems so innocent, and a world away from the social conventions we have today. But, luckily enough, Carnforth Station allows us to come and visit and soak up nostalgia for a lost time.”

— Carnforth Railway Station video [above], last minute
Circular clock logo, "Carnforth Station Heritage Centre", Lancashire, England. Home of David Lean's 1945 film, Brief Encounter. In center, Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard say goodbye at train, scene from film.
Carnforth Station Heritage Centre … home of Brief Encounter … David Lean’s 1945 film