Designer chosen for new Margate One:one Collection museum

LONDON-BASED Haptic Architects has won a competition to design Jeremy Hosking’s new railway museum in Margate’s iconic former Hornby headquarters.

Haptic was chosen ahead of five other teams to transform a 12,000 square metre warehouse into a home for Locomotive Storage’s One:one Collection, in which locomotives such as A4 Pacific No. 4464 Bittern and BR 9F No. 92212 will be displayed, along with other items of rolling stock including a Cowans Sheldon breakdown crane and a Class 60 diesel No. 60081.

The site was sold to Locomotive Storage for £2.25 million in 2017 after Hornby moved to Canterbury. The Hornby visitor centre attraction is set to remain on the site.

Locomotive Storage director Frank Martin said: “We have a vision for the One:one Collection which we’ve developed over the last 12 months, working with local agencies Lemon Creative and Loris Clements.

“The development of a new museum on the Hornby site, where the stars of the show are not models, but the real thing – full-size, original locomotives and rolling stock along with other rail and transport vehicles and memorabilia – has the potential to become a collection of national importance, right here in Thanet.

“We look forward to working closely with Thanet District Council to satisfy planning requirements, but with the support of the experienced team at Haptic, we believe this will be an exciting development for Margate.”

Haptic has also created a travelling exhibition featuring 45 candid photographs of railway passengers across China from 1963 to the present day by Wang Fuchun, with graphics by BOB Design. Running at the Locomotion museum in Shildon until March 17, the One Billion Journeys installation will transfer to Bradford, Manchester and finally the Science Museum in London.