Tracks Through Time
The Axminster to Lyme Regis Railway Schools Pack
The former Axminster to Lyme Regis Railway closed in 1965, but it still offers some significant learning opportunities across a wide area of the national curriculum. The story of the magical little railway on the Devon / Dorset border is particularly relevant to Key Stage 2 studies in history and geography because it involves an era of significant local change. For schools in the area, it offers teachers a primary source of evidence that is so often hard to find.
This project is supported by the East Devon National Landscape.
Header photo: Mick Hyams Collection / Charlie Verrall
HISTORY & TRANSPORT
- Understand how the railway changed life in the local area and beyond
- Appreciate how it boosted tourism in the area and created jobs
- Recognise continuity and change over time
- Allow pupils to make personal links with the past
GEOGRAPHY
- Develop map skills (scale, direction, landmarks, contour lines)
- Understand how physical geography influences human decisions
- Identify rural and coastal landscapes
ART & CREATIVITY
- Observational drawing and attention to detail
- Graphic communication and persuasive design (poster-making)
ENGLISH & DRAMA
- Develop descriptive vocabulary and historical imagination
- Structure narratives and diaries
- Build confidence through role play
ECONOMY & TOURISM
- Understand how transport links support local businesses and economic growth
- Explore how seaside tourism developed and why more families were able to travel
- Recognise how the railway strengthened community life — and what was lost when it closed
