Station Jim

Museums Partnership Reading (The Museum of English Rural Life and Reading Museum, supported by Arts Council England) have been working with RABBLE Theatre, Great Western Railway GWR, Slough Railway Society, Slough Writers, Slough Music Service and Slough-based communities and performers.

Together we have created a short ‘scratch’ piece of site-specific theatre for Slough Train Station about the dog Station Jim who is resident on Platform 5.

Station Jim arrived at Slough Station as a three-week old puppy in the late 1890s. When Jim was big enough, he was fitted with a collection box and this friendly dog would wander the platforms, collecting donations for the Great Western Railway Widows and Orphans Fund and delighting the travellers. On passing, his body was taxidermied and placed in a glass cabinet on Platform Five of Slough Train Station where he still stands today.

RABBLE were delighted to bring Jim back to life. In this new piece of theatre, audiences got to meet our very own Jim at the station where he acquired his fame, on the day he meets Queen Victoria.

This promenade performance featured a newly commissioned puppet, brand-new songs and a chance to learn about this special hound and the equally special town he lived in.

Museums Partnership Reading are working in local partnerships to share stories about Slough’s history, offer more opportunities for more people to engage with heritage, and build a sense of pride of place with Slough communities.